José María Caro Martínez

José María Caro Martínez (Spanish pronunciation: [xoˈse maˈɾia ˈkaɾo maɾˈtineθ] ^ⓘ; 1830 – 11 November 1916) was a Chilean politician and civil servant. In May 1894, he was unanimously elected as the first mayor of the commune of Pichilemu, with Pedro Nolasco de Mira and Francisco Reyes made second and third magistrate respectively. Caro Martínez had previously served for several years as administrator or llavero of the San Antonio de Petrel hacienda and, between 1891 and 1892, was the Subdelegate of the 13th Subdelegation of San Fernando Department which comprised the district of Cáhuil.

The eleven-year mayorship of Caro Martínez, which lasted from 1894 and 1905, was described by journalist and local historian José Arraño Acevedo as "the most fruitful" in the history of the commune. In his four terms, Caro Martínez built roads connecting Pichilemu and San Fernando, capital of the department of the same name, and founded several schools in Pichilemu and parts of current Marchigüe.

He resigned in May 1905 and completed his fourth mayoral term as a segundo alcalde. As a mayor, he was succeeded by Francisco Javier Asalgado who held the office for two non-consecutive terms. Caro Martínez was the father of the following progeny: José María Caro Rodríguez, who became the first Chilean Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church; Francisco Adriano Caro Rodríguez, who became first the regidor for multiple terms intermittently since 1906 and then the eighth mayor of Pichilemu on the resignation of Luis Barahona Fornés in December 1925; as well as Pedro Pablo Caro Rodríguez, a lawyer from the University of Chile who became an active judge in several Chilean cities.