He was sent to study in Paris[1] and returned only in 1869, after the fall of Asunción at the closing stages of the Paraguayan War.

Soon after, he began to be active in the country's politics,[2] to write for its newspapers, to do commercial deals on yerba mate[3] and to work as a lawyer; besides all that, he was named Attorney General in 1870.

[4] He would maintain that position until early 1871, when he was elected national deputy.

Like the two Ministers of Finance that followed him, Juan de la Cruz Giménez and Agustín Cañete, he was accused of embezzlement during his stint at that ministry;[6] Jara in particular had little operational knowledge of governmental finances when he took the position.

[15][1][16] One of Asunción's most important neighborhoods, Barrio Jara, is named after him, for he was the owner of most of the land that comprises it.