| Manuel Blanco Encalada | |
| Office1: | Provisional President of Chile |
| Vicepresident1: | Agustín Eyzaguirre |
| Predecessor1: | Ramón Freire (as Supreme Director of Chile) |
| Successor1: | Agustín Eyzaguirre |
| Nationality: | Chilean |
| Birth Date: | 21 April 1790 |
| Birth Place: | Buenos Aires, Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata |
| Death Place: | Santiago, Chile |
| Party: | Independent |
| Signature: | Firma Blanco Encalada.svg |
| Battles: | |
Manuel José Blanco y Calvo de Encalada (pronounced as /es-419/; April 21, 1790 – September 5, 1876) was a vice-admiral in the Chilean Navy, a political figure, and Chile's first President (Provisional) (1826).
Born in Buenos Aires which was the capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, Blanco Encalada was the son of the Spanish Manuel Lorenzo Blanco Cicerón and of the Chilean Mercedes Calvo de Encalada y Recabarren. He was trained for the navy in Spain. Later, during the Chilean War of Independence, he joined the Chilean forces, where he served with distinction under Lord Cochrane and rose to rank of Vice-Admiral and commander of the Chilean forces in (1825), where he participated in the capture of Chiloé. The following year, Congress elected him to the newly established position of President of the Republic. He soon had several fights with Congress, which was trying to install a federalist system, and resigned within two months.
Later, he joined the wars against the Peruvian-Bolivian Confederation and Spanish-South American War (1865–1866). After the war, he became Governor of Valparaíso and minister to France. He was also an active Freemason.[1] Blanco Encalada died in Santiago de Chile at the age of 86.
| Align: | center |
| Blanco Encalada | |
| President: | Manuel Blanco Encalada |
| President Start: | 9 July 1826 |
| President End: | 9 September 1826 |
| Government Foreign Affairs: | Ventura Blanco Encalada |
| Government Foreign Affairs Start: | 8 March 1826 |
| Government Foreign Affairs End: | 20 October 1826 |
| Finance: | Manuel José Gandarillas |
| Finance Start: | 8 March 1826 |
| Finance End: | 12 September 1826 |
| War Navy: | José María Novoa |
| War Navy Start: | 8 March 1826 |
| War Navy End: | 21 June 1826 |
| War Navy 2: | Tomás Obejero |
| War Navy Start 2: | 21 June 1826 |
| War Navy End 2: | 26 September 1826 |