Rafael Segundo Sotomayor Gaete (November 16, 1848 – February 16, 1918) was a Chilean politician and several times minister.

He was born in Cauquenes, the son of Rafael Sotomayor Baeza and of Pabla del Carmen Gaete Ruiz.

He studied at the Instituto Nacional and later graduated as a lawyer from the Universidad de Chile on January 7, 1871.

As such he is held responsible of giving the shoot-to-kill order to General Roberto Silva Renard that caused the Santa María School massacre in 1907, where the estimates range between 1,100 and 3,500 men, women and children killed.

He had been on board the ship Infanta Isabel, in front of Pernambuco, at the age of 69, on the return trip from Europe, after having been Chilean Ambassador to France.