He worked in the Chilean Senate, specifically in the Secretariat of the Commission on the Constitution, Legislation, Justice and Regulations. On November 3, 1958, President Jorge Alessandri appointed him simultaneously Minister Secretary General of Government and Minister of the Interior.[5] He served as Secretary General of Government until the end of the administration on November 3, 1964; he remained Minister of the Interior until January 19, 1959, when he resigned citing health reasons.[6] He returned to the Interior portfolio on a provisional basis between April 28 and May 2, 1960, and again between November 6 and 10 of the same year, acting for the incumbent Sótero del Río.[2] Likewise, on September 5, 1960, he was appointed minister of justice—a position he held until the end of the administration—and between July 7 and August 26, 1961, he acted as substitute for the then minister of foreign affairs (also acting), Sótero del Río.[2] On September 14, 1963, he was appointed minister of foreign affairs in his own right,[7][8] serving in that post until December 17 of the same year.[2] In 1970, he formed the Movimiento Independiente Alessandrista (MIA) in support of the former president's presidential candidacy that year.[3][7]
After the 1973 coup d'état, he collaborated with the military junta led by General Augusto Pinochet, and was early appointed to chair the Commission for the Study of the New Constitution, commonly known as the Ortúzar Commission.[7][9] In that role, he expressed his conservative outlook, advocating a particular view of democracy protected against dangers that the Chilean right attributed to Marxism, and reviving reforms that had not been adopted during the Alessandri government, such as the integration of the Senate by members not elected by popular vote.[7]
He also served on the Council of State established in 1976 to review the work of the Ortúzar Commission. In that capacity, on October 18, 1978, he delivered to the governing junta the draft of a new constitution. His role in the institutional design embodied in the 1980 Constitution was therefore significant.[7] Regarding his work on drafting the 1980 Constitution, he stated:
The 1980 plebiscite is perfectly legitimate because it has been called by the legitimate authority: the military government that assumed power by virtue of the legitimate rebellion of the people of Chile. It is legitimate because the people will have the possibility to express freely, in a secret and informed vote, their decision regarding the proposal submitted for their consideration.
From 1982, and for a period of eight years, he was a minister (justice) of the Constitutional Court of Chile (TC) established by the 1980 Constitution, tasked with ensuring its correct application.[3]
Among other activities, he was a member of the Club de La Unión and the Club de Polo.[4] He died in Santiago on February 26, 2005, aged 90.[3]
