Alejandro Lira Lira

Alejandro Lira Lira (3 April 1873 – 6 July 1951) was a Chilean lawyer, academic, diplomat and politician who served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile and held several ministerial and diplomatic posts.

Born in Santiago, he was the son of José Gregorio Lira Argomedo and Escolástica Lira Soiza. He studied at Colegio San Ignacio and later studied law, qualifying as a lawyer on 24 June 1897. He subsequently taught mining law and philosophy of law at the University of Chile, and mining law and civil law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, where he also served as secretary-general.

A member of the Conservative Party, Lira was elected deputy for Lontué and Curepto for the 1912–1915 legislative period. He served on the Permanent Commissions of Legislation and Justice and Social Legislation. Reelected for the same constituency for the 1915–1918 term, he continued on the Social Legislation Commission and served as a substitute member of the Permanent Commission of War and Navy.

Lira served as Minister of War and Navy in June 1907 under President Pedro Montt, and as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 17 December 1914 to 15 December 1915 under President Ramón Barros Luco. During the latter tenure, he contributed to maintaining Chilean neutrality during World War I.

He was also active in mining law and wrote a proposed general reform of Chilean mining legislation. He served as a director of the Sociedad Nacional de Minería for fifteen years and later as an honorary director. In 1927, he headed the Chilean delegation to the Sixth International Conference of American States in Havana, and from 1931 to 1933 served as Chilean ambassador to the Holy See.

Lira died in Santiago on 6 July 1951.