Jorge Aravena Carrasco

Aravena was born in El Monte on 10 December 1903, the son of Juan Aravena Contreras and Natalia Carrasco Iturrieta.^[2] He studied at the Liceo de Talca (now Liceo Abate Molina), the Liceo Valentín Letelier de Santiago, and later at the Instituto Superior de Comercio in Talca.^[3]

He married Lidia Alfaro Gutiérrez, with whom he had five daughters.^[1]

Aravena worked as an industrialist, farmer, and journalist. From 1922 to 1927 he administered the Unión de Productores de Leche in El Monte, later becoming the owner of the Central de Productores de Leche “Alejandro Larraín.” In 1946 he co-founded the firm Ilabaca, Leiva y Cía., which became Sociedad Lechera Aravena y Cía.^[1] From 1948 he farmed the estate “Las Lilas” in Maule, Talca Province, exporting fruit and building a major cold-storage plant. He also owned the Radio Regional of Curicó.^[1]

He began his political activity in the Agrarian Labor Party (PAL). In 1955 he joined the Partido Agrario Laborista Recuperacionista (PAL-R), serving as national president in 1957.^[1]

Under President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo, he held various posts: intendant of Talca Province (1952–1953), Minister of Health (January–May 1955), President of Banco del Estado (1955–1956), Minister of Agriculture (1956–1957), and Minister of the Interior (April–July 1957). He was also Director General of the Social Security Service (1954–1955).^[1][4]

In the 1961 elections, he was elected deputy for the 12th Departmental Group (Talca, Lontué and Curepto). He was reelected in 1965, serving until 1969. In Congress he sat on the Permanent Commission on Agriculture and Colonization, the Mixed Budget Commission, the Special Commission on the CUT of Arica, the Special Commission on Wine, and investigative commissions on health services, importation of vehicles in Arica, and the 1965 La Ligua earthquake.^[1] He also traveled as part of the Chilean delegation to the 21st United Nations General Assembly in New York (1966).^[1]

He was a member of the Automóvil Club de Chile and Stade Français.^[3]

Aravena died in Santiago on 27 March 1983, aged 79.^[1]

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