Roberto Contreras Galaz
Roberto Contreras Galaz | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| In office 15 May 1949 – 15 May 1953 | |
| Constituency | 21st Departamental Group |
| Minister of Lands and Colonization | |
| In office 9 September 1946 – 3 November 1946 | |
| Vice President | Juan Antonio Iribarren |
| Preceded by | Fidel Estay Cortés (acting: Luis Mandujano Tobar) |
| Succeeded by | Víctor Contreras Tapia |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 October 1912 |
| Died | 20 March 1981 (aged 68) |
| Party | Radical Party |
| Spouse | Rebeca Eddinger Hege (m. 1951) |
| Children | 4 |
| Parent(s) | Roberto Contreras Lucrecia Galaz |
| Alma mater | University of Concepción (LL.B) |
| Occupation | Lawyer, politician |
Roberto Contreras Galaz (3 October 1912 – 20 March 1981) was a Chilean lawyer and Radical Party politician. He served as a Member of the Chamber of Deputies and as Minister of Lands and Colonization during the vice presidency of Juan Antonio Iribarren in 1946.[1]
Family and education
He was born in Nueva Imperial on 3 October 1912, the son of Roberto Contreras and Lucrecia Galaz.[2] He completed primary studies in Nueva Imperial, secondary studies at the Baptist School of Temuco, and later at the Liceo de Hombres de Concepción. He studied law at the University of Concepción, graduating in 1940 with the thesis Situación económica de los araucanos.[2]
He married Rebeca Eddinger Hege on 21 February 1951; the couple had four children.[2]
Professional career
Beginning in 1942, Contreras served as legal secretary of the Prefecture of Carabineros de Chile in Cautín Province. He taught civic education at the Liceo de Niñas and the Industrial School of Temuco, and later taught law at the School of Social Service. He was also secretary-general of the University Popular “Víctor Hernández Concha”.[2]
He was active in local civic organisations, serving on the provincial board of the Boy Scouts, the Rotary Club, the Social Club, and the Liceo Sports Club. He was president of the Ateneo de Temuco, the Children’s Club, and the Baptist School Alumni Center. He also served as councillor of the Chilean Bar Association.[2]
Political career
A militant of the Radical Party, he served as president of both the Radical Assembly and the Radical Club of Temuco.[2] On 9 September 1946, Vice President Juan Antonio Iribarren appointed him Minister of Lands and Colonization, a post he held until 3 November 1946.[1]
In the 1949 parliamentary elections, he was elected Deputy for the 21st Departamental Group (Temuco, Lautaro, Imperial, Pitrufquén, Villarrica), serving from 1949 to 1953. He served as replacement member of the Standing Committees on Public Works and on Agriculture and Colonization, and as full member of the Standing Committee on Economy and Trade.[2]
An Evangelical, he was noted for advocating for plural religious education in Chilean public schools.[3]
Contreras died in Temuco on 20 March 1981 at the age of 68.[2]
References
- ^ a b Valencia Avaria, Luis (1986). Anales de la República (2nd ed.). Santiago, Chile: Editorial Andrés Bello.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Roberto Contreras Galaz – Parliamentary Biography". Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ Humberto Lagos Schuffeneger. Herejía en Chile: Evangélicos y protestantes desde la colonia hasta 1925.