Federico Alfonso Pezet

Federico Alfonso Pezet (1859–1929) entered public life as a soldier. A graduate of Peru’s military academy in 1878, he fought in the War of the Pacific and was wounded at Tarapacá. After the war he edited the Spanish section of Panama’s Star and Herald. Consular appointments followed in Panama, Liverpool, and New York, alongside diplomatic service in Washington and Central America. He also wrote on Pan-American affairs and economic development. ¹

As ambassador in Washington, Pezet helped establish the American naval mission in Peru. The Peruvian navy’s published history reproduces the contract he signed with Commander Frank B. Freyer on 1 July 1920, advised by naval attaché Luis Aubry. It set out Freyer’s rank, pay, and service obligations; the other officers received individual contracts. ²

Pezet also participated in the Washington negotiations over Tacna and Arica. A State Department memorandum of July 1922 records that he arranged the Peruvian delegation chairman’s meeting with Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes and had already presented Peru’s concerns about the proposed arbitration. The disputed issue was what would happen if the arbitrator decided against holding a plebiscite: Peru sought a further mechanism to resolve sovereignty, while Chile preferred direct negotiation. ³

His papers survive in Indiana University’s Lilly Library among the Corbacho/Pezet manuscripts. The collection includes correspondence and other material concerning relations between Peru and the United States and the War of the Pacific. ¹