| Francisco Vidal | |
| Birth Date: | 1953 9, df=y |
| Birth Place: | Santiago, Chile |
| Office: | Minister of Defense |
| President: | Michelle Bachelet |
| Term Start: | 12 March 2009 |
| Term End: | 11 March 2010 |
| Predecessor: | José Goñi |
| Successor: | Jaime Ravinet |
| Office1: | Minister General Secretariat of Government |
| Term Start1: | 6 December 2007 |
| Term End1: | 12 March 2009 |
| President1: | Michelle Bachelet |
| Predecessor1: | Ricardo Lagos Weber |
| Successor1: | Carolina Tohá |
| President2: | Ricardo Lagos |
| Term Start2: | 3 March 2003 |
| Term End2: | 24 May 2005 |
| Predecessor2: | Heraldo Muñoz |
| Successor2: | Osvaldo Puccio |
| Office3: | Minister of the Interior |
| President3: | Ricardo Lagos |
| Term Start3: | 24 May 2005 |
| Term End3: | 11 March 2006 |
| Predecessor3: | José Miguel Insulza |
| Successor3: | Andrés Zaldívar |
| Office4: | Undersecretary of Regional and Administrative Development |
| Term Start4: | 11 March 2000 |
| Term End4: | 3 March 2003 |
| President4: | Ricardo Lagos |
| Predecessor4: | Marcelo Schilling |
| Successor4: | Adriana Delpiano |
| Occupation: | Politician |
| Profession: | Teacher of History |
| Parents: | Carlos Vidal Vargas María Salinas Opazo |
| Spouse: | María Inés Maturana Waidele |
| Children: | Three |
Francisco Javier Vidal Salinas (born 20 September 1953) is a Chilean politician and scholar.
In 1971, he began his political career at the rightist National Party.[1] [2]
He was Chile's Minister of National Defense[3] from March 2009 to March 2010. Before this position he served as Minister Secretary General of Government of Chile during the administrations of Ricardo Lagos and Michelle Bachelet and Interior Minister during Lagos's mandate.
He is a professor of history at the University of Chile.