Eliseo Peña

Eliseo Peña
Minister of Lands and Colonization
In office
8 July 1932 – 1 August 1932
Minister of the Interior
In office
13 July 1932 – 1 August 1932
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office
15 May 1926 – 15 May 1930
Constituency4th Departamental Circumscription
Personal details
Born(1869-06-14)14 June 1869
PartyRadical Socialist Party
SpouseLaura Abos-Padilla
Parent(s)Manuel Peña
Francisca Villalón
Alma materUniversity of Chile
OccupationTeacher, Politician

José Eliseo Peña Villalón (born 14 June 1869) was a Chilean teacher and politician affiliated with the Radical Socialist Party. He served as deputy during the 1926–1930 legislative period and held ministerial office during the Socialist Republic of 1932.[1]

Biography

He was born on 14 June 1869 in Ovalle, Chile, the son of Manuel Peña and Francisca Villalón.[1] He married Laura Abos-Padilla.[1]

He studied at the Liceo and Seminary of La Serena and later entered the Pedagogical Institute of the University of Chile, qualifying as Professor of History and Geography in 1895.[1]

He served as teacher, vice-rector and rector of the Liceo of La Serena, and founded and presided over the Provincial Education Association of Coquimbo.[1]

He authored Programa de Historia y Geografía and Antigüedades Coquimbanas.[1] He was also a shareholder and director of several mining companies.[1]

He founded the Centro Provincial Sport Coquimbo and served as founder and president of the Boy Scouts of La Serena.[1] He was a member of the Sociedad Científica del Puerto de Cádiz (Spain), the Sociedad Científica de Chile, and the Asociación General de Profesores de Chile.[1]

Political career

He was a member of the Radical Socialist Party, serving as its organizer and first president in 1931, the year of its foundation.[1]

He was elected deputy for the 4th Departamental Circumscription (La Serena, Coquimbo, Elqui, Ovalle, Combarbalá and Illapel) for the 1926–1930 period.[1] He served as substitute member on the Permanent Commissions of Foreign Affairs and of Public Education.[1]

In 1932 he was part of one of the governing juntas of the Socialist Republic, together with Carlos Dávila Espinoza and Pedro Cárdenas Avendaño, which functioned from 30 June to 8 July 1932.[1]

During the provisional presidency of Carlos Dávila Espinoza, he was appointed Minister of Lands and Colonization (8 July – 1 August 1932) and concurrently served as Minister of the Interior (13 July – 1 August 1932).[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "José Eliseo Peña Villalón ― Reseñas biográficas parlamentarias". Library of the National Congress of Chile. Retrieved 28 February 2026.