Alejandro Chelén
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Alejandro Chelén | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Senate of Chile | |
| In office 15 May 1957 – 15 May 1965 | |
| Preceded by | Eduardo Frei Montalva |
| Succeeded by | Tomás Chadwick |
| Constituency | 2nd Provincial Group |
| Member of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| In office 15 May 1949 – 15 May 1957 | |
| Constituency | 4th Departmental Group |
| Councillor of Combarbalá | |
| In office 1948–1949 | |
| Councillor of Chañaral | |
| In office 1937–1939 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 21 September 1912 |
| Died | 16 May 1990 (aged 77) |
| Party | Socialist Party of Chile (1936–1943; 1945–1946) Communist Party of Chile (1943–1945) Popular Socialist Party (1946–1958) |
| Spouse | Magda Franulic |
| Children | 5 |
| Parent(s) | José Chelén Deidamia Rojas |
| Alma mater | Liceo de Hombres de Ovalle |
| Occupation | Journalist, politician |
| Awards | Municipal Literary Prize Gabriela Mistral (1936) |
Alejandro Chelén Rojas (21 September 1912 – 16 May 1990) was a Chilean worker, farmer, journalist and politician. A member of the Socialist Party of Chile, the Popular Socialist Party, and briefly of the Communist Party of Chile, he served as Deputy (1949–1957) and Senator (1957–1965).
Chelén was born in Chañaral Alto, commune of Monte Patria, Coquimbo Region, the son of José Chelén, of Arab origin, and Deidamia Rojas. He completed primary studies at the Liceo de Hombres de Ovalle (today Liceo Bicentenario Alejandro Álvarez Jofré), but left school at 15 to work in the nitrate pampas of Tarapacá and Antofagasta between 1927 and 1930.
He married Magda Franulic and had five children.
Professional and public career
In 1935 he moved to Atacama Province, working for nearly ten years in copper, silver and gold mines. A year later, he joined the Socialist Party, founding the "Inca de Oro" section. In 1937 he was elected councillor of Chañaral, and founded the local newspaper Avance.
He also pursued history courses at the University of Chile in Santiago, influenced by historian Julio César Jobet and professor Eugenio González Rojas.
Chelén combined agriculture, mining and journalism. He published in several regional and national outlets, founded El Arado (Combarbalá, 1946) and Crónica (La Serena, 1947), and collaborated in Hoy and other Santiago journals. In 1948, he was elected councillor of Combarbalá.