Ambrosio O'Higgins
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Ambrosio O'Higgins (1720? - 1801) was born Ambrose O'Higgins in Ballinary, a townland on the shores of Lough Arrow, in County Sligo, Ireland. After emigrating to Spain and enrolling in the Spanish Imperial Service, he later moved to La Plata Colony, in present day Argentina, where he tried some commercial ventures. Later he enrolled as draughtsman and then engineer for the Spanish Imperial Service. It was there that John Garland, another Irish engineer at the service of Spain, convinced him to move to the neighbouring, and less established, colony of Chile. He rose quickly through the Service and became Governor General of the General Capitany of Chile.
During this time he had a relationship with Lady Isabel Riquelme, a Creole whose family was a member of the Spanish ruling class. From this unofficial union a son was born, Bernardo O'Higgins, who would later become "Supreme Director" of Chile (a title whose practical definition would be close to the ancient Greek concept of "tyrant") after its independence from the Spanish Empire. Though Ambrose never officially recognised this son as his legal heir, he paid for his education in England and left him his possesions in Peru and Chile.
As Governor of Chile, one of the most problematic and remote Spanish outpost, O'Higgins Senior was extremely active, promoting the construction of a definitive road between the capital Santiago and the port of Valparaiso (the layout of which is still in use today), the building of the Government Palace (Casa de la Moneda)in Santiago, and the setting up of a reliable postal service between La Plata colony and the General Capitany of Chile.
In 1796 O'Higgins was was appointed Viceroy of Peru, serving in the New Extremadura Province (comprising present-day Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Northwest Argentina and parts of Western Brazil. Peru was the richest colony of the whole Empire and thus the Viceroyship the most prominent post in all the Spanish America, a post that he occupied until his death in 1801.
Several towns, bays, and other Spanish discoveries in the Americas were named after his birthplace during his time as Viceroy, such as Vallenar (Hispanization of Ballinary) in Chile or Vallenar Bay in Alaska.Template:Politician-stub