Luis Valencia Courbis

He was born on 12 November 1883 in San Felipe, Chile to Pedro 2º Valencia Miranda and Enriqueta Courbis.^[1] He married Blanca Amelia Avaria Marín in Punta Arenas on 28 January 1915 and they had six children.^[1] He studied at the Seminario de Santiago and at the Escuela Militar, entering as a cadet in 1901 and serving as an officer until 1907.^[1]

He also studied law at the University of Chile and was admitted as a lawyer on 28 June 1907 with the thesis Jurisprudencia militar ¿Es válido el contrato de enganche celebrado por un menor de edad?.^[1]

He practiced law in Antofagasta, Magallanes, Valparaíso and Santiago, taught constitutional law in Valparaíso, and held public legal positions including promoter fiscal in Punta Arenas and secretary general lawyer of the Dirección de Alcantarillado de Santiago.^[1] He later served as extraordinary envoy to Peru in connection with negotiations concluded in 1929.^[1]

A member of the Conservative Party, he was second mayor of the Municipality of Punta Arenas between 1920 and 1924.^[1] He was elected deputy for Valparaíso and Casablanca in 1924 and later deputy for the 6th Departamental Circumscription (Valparaíso, Quillota, Limache and Casablanca) for the 1926–1930 period.^[1]

During his legislative service he participated in the Permanent Commissions of Public Works, Roads and Public Works, and Hygiene and Public Assistance, and as substitute member on the Commissions of Foreign Relations, War and Navy, and Constitutional Reform and Rules.^[1] He was part of the Conservative Parliamentary Committee.^[1]