D.C. Statuary

Bernardo O'Higgins

38.908083, -77.039861 | Political

A bronze bust by Galvarino Ponce Morel of Bernardo O’Higgins placed outside of the Chilean Embassy.

Bernardo O’Higgins Riquelme was a Chilean independence leader who freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence. He was a wealthy landowner of Spanish and Irish ancestry. Although he was the second Supreme Director of Chile (1817–1823), he is considered one of Chile’s founding fathers, as he was the first holder of this title to head a fully independent Chilean state.