Claudio Matte

Claudio Matte
Claudio Matte
	File:ClaudioMattePerez.jpg
Head of the University of Chile
	In office; April 1926 – April 1927
Preceded by	Francisco Mardones
Succeeded by	Carlos Charlín
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Worship and Colonization
	In office; 1895–1895
President	Jorge Montt
Preceded by	Luis Barros Borgoño
Succeeded by	Adolfo Guerrero
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
	In office; 1894–1897
Constituency	Llanquihue, Carelmapu and Osorno
Personal details
Born	18 December 1858; Santiago, Chile
Died	20 December 1956 (aged 98); Santiago, Chile
Spouse(s)	Elvira Hurtado Concha
Children	7
Parents	Domingo Matte Mesías; Rosario Pérez Vargas
Education	University of Chile
Profession	Lawyer, educator

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Claudio Matte Pérez^{[lower-alpha 1]} (18 December 1858 – 20 December 1956) was a Chilean educator, lawyer and politician.

He developed the Silabario Matte [es], an instructional text for teaching reading and writing, and served as president of the Sociedad de Instrucción Primaria. He was also a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Worship and Colonization, and Rector of the University of Chile.

Early life

Matte was born in Santiago on 18 December 1858 to Domingo Matte Mesías [es] and Rosario Pérez Vargas. He studied at the Instituto Nacional and later law at the University of Chile, graduating as a lawyer in 1879.

He married Elvira Hurtado Concha, with whom he had seven children.

In 1881, Matte traveled to Europe, where he studied methods of primary education used in countries including France, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom. While in Leipzig in 1884, he studied pedagogy and teaching methodology and prepared the first edition of his Nuevo método fonético, analítico-sintético para la enseñanza simultánea de la lectura y escritura, subsequently known as the Silabario Matte.

Educational career

File:Ilustracion de la primera pagina del "Silabario Matte".jpg

Illustration from the first page of the Silabario Matte

Matte's teaching method used a phonetic, analytic and synthetic approach to reading and writing. The textbook began to be used experimentally in Chile during the 1880s. Matte sent copies to the Sociedad de Instrucción Primaria and transferred the copyright to the organization in 1889.

The Silabario Matte was adopted as an official primary-school instructional text in Chile in 1894 and was subsequently used in schools elsewhere in Latin America.

In 1892, Matte became president of the Sociedad de Instrucción Primaria, an organization devoted to primary education. He remained its president until his death in 1956. During his tenure, he financed the construction of six schools.

Matte also advocated the inclusion of manual work, domestic economy, industrial drawing and physical education in primary-school curricula. He was involved in initiatives promoting school commemorations and activities related to environmental education.

Political and public career

In addition to his educational activities, Matte held several public and institutional positions. He became president of the Fine Arts Commission in 1888 and joined the Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities of the University of Chile in 1892.

In 1894, Matte entered the Chamber of Deputies of Chile, representing Llanquihue, Carelmapu and Osorno during the 1894–1897 legislative period.

In 1895, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Worship and Colonization. He also held positions related to primary education, including director of primary instruction and vice president of the Council of Primary Instruction.

Matte supported the introduction of compulsory primary education in Chile, a policy eventually established through the Compulsory Primary Education Law of 1920.

In April 1926, Matte was elected Rector of the University of Chile. He resigned in April 1927 during a government-led reorganization of the university.^[1] He was succeeded by Carlos Charlín Correa.

Matte died in Santiago on 20 December 1956, two days after his 98th birthday.

Notes

↑ In this article, the first or paternal surname is Matte and the second or maternal family name is Pérez.

References

↑ "Claudio Matte Pérez (1926–1927)" (in español). University of Chile. Retrieved 6 October 2026.

External links

This article "Claudio Matte" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Claudio Matte. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

[1] In this article, the first or paternal surname is Matte and the second or maternal family name is Pérez.

[UChile-2] "Claudio Matte Pérez (1926–1927)" (in español). University of Chile. Retrieved 6 October 2026.

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