Roberto Barros

Roberto Barros Torres was a Chilean lawyer, landowner, and Liberal Party politician who served as Deputy for the 1st Metropolitan District during the 1937–1953 legislative period.

Biography

Barros Torres was born in Santiago on 19 April 1899, the son of Nicanor Barros Sierra and Mercedes Torres Arriagada.
He studied at the Colegio San Ignacio and later at the Faculty of Law of the University of Chile. He worked at the Tribunal de Cuentas and subsequently served as Director of Parks, Gardens and Subsistences of the Municipality of Santiago.
After leaving public administration, he became involved in agricultural activities, managing the estate “Los Peumos” in El Canelo.
He married Berta Villegas Duncan.

Political career

Originally a member of the National Party, he served as provincial metropolitan assembly president until the party merged into the Liberal Party in 1931. Within the Liberal Party he became a member of the national board, presided over the 1931 Unionist Convention, and was associated with the Manchesterian faction.
He was elected Deputy for the 1st Metropolitan District for the 1937–1941 legislative period, serving on the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations.
Reelected for the 1941–1945 legislative term, he joined the Committee on Agriculture and Colonization. He obtained a third term for 1945–1949, participating in the Standing Committee on Interior Government.
His final term saw him serve on the Standing Committee on Roads and Public Works.
He also represented Chile at congresses in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, and represented the Municipality of Santiago at the celebrations of Brazil’s Centenary in Rio de Janeiro.