Enrique Lira Urquieta

Enrique Lira Urquieta
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office
15 May 1930 – 21 May 1937
Constituency13th Departamental Grouping
Personal details
Born1902 (1902)
Died7 January 1952(1952-01-07) (aged 49–50)
PartyConservative Party
Traditionalist Conservative Party
Alma materPontifical Catholic University of Chile

Enrique Lira Urquieta (1902 – 7 January 1952) was a Chilean lawyer, businessman and politician. A member of the Conservative Party and later the Traditionalist Conservative Party, he served as a deputy representing the Thirteenth Departamental Grouping of Constitución, Chanco, Cauquenes and Itata.[1][2]

In his youth he was a member of the National Association of Catholic Students (A.N.E.C.). He also belonged to the Chilean Bar Association, the Club de la Unión, the Golf Club and the Club Hípico.[2]

Early life and education

Lira was born in Santiago, Chile, in 1902, the son of Pedro Lira Herzl and Juana Urquieta Zavala. He married Olga Vergara de Castro and the couple had children.[2]

He studied at the German School of Santiago and later at the Pedagogical Institute of the University of Chile. He subsequently pursued legal studies at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, qualifying as a lawyer on 4 December 1925 with a thesis titled Del procedimiento en los juicios de minas.[2]

Professional career

Lira worked as administrator of the Work Accidents Section of the Savings Bank and later served as manager of the Mining Credit Fund (Caja de Crédito Minero).[2]

He also held positions as adviser to the Sociedad Nacional de Agricultura (SNA), the Sociedad Nacional de Minería and the Sociedad de Fomento Fabril (SOFOFA). He was also a member of the board of the Confederation of Production and Commerce.[2]

In the private sector he participated in industrial and mining enterprises. He served as manager of the Instituto Sanitas in Chile and organized the production of chemical products through affiliated companies with branches in Peru, Argentina and Colombia.[2]

Political career

Lira was a member of the Conservative Party and later of the Traditionalist Conservative Party.[2]

He was elected deputy for the Thirteenth Departamental Grouping of Constitución, Chanco, Cauquenes and Itata for the 1930–1934 legislative period and served on the Permanent Commission on Public Education.[2]

The 1932 Chilean coup d'état led to the dissolution of the National Congress on 6 June 1932.[2]

He was re-elected deputy for the same constituency for the 1933–1937 legislative period and took office with full powers on 7 April 1933, replacing Ruperto Pinochet Alvis.[2]

During this term he served as substitute member of the Permanent Commission on Medical-Social Assistance and Hygiene and of the Permanent Commission on Industries.[2]

Lira died in Riñihue, Chile, on 7 January 1952.[2]

References

  1. ^ Valencia Avaria 1951, p. 495.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Enrique Lira Urquieta – Parliamentary Biography". Library of the National Congress of Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 March 2026.

Bibliography

  • Luis Valencia Avaria (1951). Anales de la República: textos constitucionales de Chile y registro de los ciudadanos que han integrado los Poderes Ejecutivo y Legislativo desde 1810. Tomo II. Imprenta Universitaria, Santiago.