Eduardo Cañas Lira

Eduardo Cañas Lira (born 3 October 1883) was a Chilean agriculturist, journalist, and politician. A member of the Radical Party, he served as a deputy during the XXXVII Legislative Period of the National Congress of Chile, representing the 14th Departamental Grouping between 1933 and 1937.

Biography Cañas Lira was born in Osorno on 3 October 1883, the son of Javier Cañas and Rosa Lira. He married Luisa Rivera Reyes, with whom he had five children. He completed his teacher training at the Escuela Normal of Valdivia.

He worked as an agriculturist and journalist. From 1929 onward, he focused on agricultural activities, exploiting the estates “Santa Luisa” and “Los Laureles” in Linares. He held advisory roles in the Caja de Colonización Agrícola, the Viticulture Committee of the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Sociedad Nacional de Agricultura for more than twenty years.

He founded and served for seventeen years as president of the Vitivinicultural Cooperative of Linares and Villa Alegre. He was also president of the Agricultural and Dairy Cooperative of Linares and the Sugar Beet Producers’ Cooperative, participating in the establishment of the IANSA sugar plant in Linares. In 1916, he was commissioned by the Chilean government to explore foreign markets for Chilean agricultural products, and between 1919 and 1920 he initiated wine and barley exports to Japan.

As a journalist, he owned and directed the newspaper La Región of Linares and contributed to El Mercurio of Santiago under the pseudonym “Calir”.

Political career A member of the Radical Party, Cañas Lira served as vice president of the party in Linares, was its president for ten years, and acted as a delegate to the Radical Central Board.

He was elected deputy for the 14th Departamental Grouping for the 1933–1937 legislative period. During his term, he served on the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations and Trade and acted as substitute member of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Colonization.