Luis Gardeweg

Luis Arturo Gardeweg Villegas was a Chilean teacher, lawyer, agricultural entrepreneur, and Conservative Party politician. He served as Deputy for the 7th Departamental Group for five consecutive legislative periods between 1933 and 1953.

Biography

Gardeweg Villegas was born in Valparaíso on 10 November 1897, the son of Enrique Gardeweg Werra and Amalia Villegas Villegas.
He studied at the Colegio de los Sagrados Corazones of Valparaíso and later at the Pedagogical Institute of the University of Chile, graduating as Professor of History and Geography in 1919. He also pursued Law at the same university, receiving his degree in 1920 with the thesis “Comisión revisora de poderes: Ley de 8 de febrero de 1906”.
He taught History at Liceo “Federico Hanssen” and served as Rector of its Evening Section. He also taught Civic Education at the Universidad Popular “Juan Enrique Concha”.
He engaged in agricultural activities in the provinces of O’Higgins and Llanquihue and served as president and manager of the agricultural and forestry company Purranque S.A.
He married Carmen Lacourt Melo in 1938; among their children were Germán Gardeweg and journalist Carmen Gardeweg.

Political career

A member of the Conservative Party, he served as Councillor of the Municipality of Providencia between 1930 and 1933.
He was elected Deputy for the 7th Departamental Group for the 1933–1937 legislative period, serving on the Standing Committee on Education.
He was reelected for the 1937–1941 term, and later for the periods 1941–1945, 1945–1949 and 1949–1953, serving on the Committees on Finance, Interior Government, and Constitution, Legislation and Justice.