PORTALES, Diego Jose Victor (por-tah'-les), Chilian soldier, born in Santiago in June, 1793; died in Valparaiso, 6 June, 1837, He acquired his education in the College of San Cnrlos, and in 1817 obtained the place of assayer of the mint; but went to Peru in 1823 and entered commerce. He returned to Chili in 1824, and, being discontented on account of heavy losses in a contract with the Chilian government, from whom he had obtained the monopoly of tobacco, joined the opposition, attacking the government in the paper "El Hambriento" in 1827. In April, 1830, he was appointed by the general junta minister of the interior, foreign affairs, war, and the navy; but, .on account of political disturbances, he resigned his charges in 1831 and retired to Valparaiso, where he engaged again in business. On 17 August, 1832, he was elected vice-president of the republic, and at the end of the same year he was appointed governor of Valparaiso, where he organized the civic militia. In September, 1835, President Prieto appointed him again minister of war. When in 1836 the Peru-Bolivian confederation was established, Portales strongly opposed it. Owing to his efforts, in October of that year a Chilian fleet left Valparaiso for Callao under Admiral Blanco Encalada (q. v.), to protest against the confederation, and, not receiving a satisfactory answer, the Chilian government declared war on 11 November, 1836. Meanwhile, Portales was organizing an expeditionary force in Quillota, giving the command of one of the best regiments to Colonel Jose Antonio Vidaurre, who was his special favorite. Soon afterward a mutiny, led by Vidaurre and other officers, was organized, while Portales was at Valparaiso, and when the latter returned to Quillota and was reviewing his troops, he was made a prisoner by Vidaurre. The mutineers marched on Valparaiso, but they encountered a determined resistance from the civic militia. Portales was left under custody of a lieutenant, who, seeing the defeat of his party, ordered him to be shot. In September, 1861, a statue of Portales was erected in front of the mint in Santiago.