José Camus

José Tomás Camus Foncea (born 7 March 1926) is a Chilean lawyer and politician, member of the Radical Party. He served as Deputy for the 15th Departmental District (San Carlos and Itata) during the legislative period 1965–1969.

He was born in Viña del Mar on 7 March 1926, the son of Exequiel Camus and Julia Foncea C. On 15 January 1955, he married Inés Montané Ramírez, with whom he had four children.

Camus completed his primary and secondary education at the Colegio de los Sagrados Corazones de Valparaíso. After finishing school, he entered the Law School of Valparaíso. His thesis was titled Derecho comercial y seguro de ganancia (“Commercial Law and Profit Insurance”), and he graduated as a lawyer in 1952.

He worked as a teaching assistant at the Law School of the University of Chile in Valparaíso; as professor of Political Economy and Civic Education at the Liceo de Quilpué (1952–1958); teaching assistant of Political and Administrative Sciences at the University of Chile in Santiago; and later as professor in the Seminar of Political Science and Constitutional Law at the same institution in 1960.

He also worked at the Municipality of Valparaíso (1948–1955), served as provincial secretary of the Association of Municipal Employees, and was a lawyer for the Office of the Comptroller General of Chile (1958–1964).

In addition, he dedicated part of his life to agricultural activities in Quirihue.

He joined the Radical Party, first as a member of the Providencia Assembly and later of the Quirihue Radical Assembly.

In 1965, he was elected Deputy for the 15th Departmental District (San Carlos and Itata), serving during the legislative period 1965–1969.

• Biografías de Chilenos: Miembros de los Poderes Ejecutivo, Legislativo y Judicial, 1876–1973, Armando de Ramón et al., Ediciones Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, 2003.

• BCN Profile