Fernando Lorca

Fernando Máximo Lorca Cortínez (18 February 1911 – 30 May 1976) was a Chilean businessman, journalist, diplomat and liberal politician.

Biography Lorca Cortínez was born in Santiago, Chile, on 18 February 1911. He was the son of former deputy José María Lorca Pellross and Ester Cortínez Mujica.

He studied at the Instituto Andrés Bello and Commerce at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.

He engaged in commercial, business and journalistic activities. From 1928, he worked at the Expreso Villalonga Transport Company in Valparaíso. Between 1933 and 1938, he served as the company’s agent. From 1938, he carried out private import, export and representation activities in the port of Valparaíso, until 1943, when he was appointed General Manager of Villalonga, a position he held until 1948.

He married Iris Silva Clark in 1933, with whom he had four children. In a second marriage, he married Adela Elías Aparicio on 18 December 1950, with whom he had two children.

Political career Lorca Cortínez joined the Liberal Party in 1933. He served as Director General of the party from 1937, organized and presided over the Liberal Youth of Valparaíso between 1939 and 1941, and was a member of the party’s Executive Board. He represented the party at the 1933 Convention held in Viña del Mar and served as delegate of the Liberal Youth to the Talca Convention the following year. He was Treasurer of the Liberal Party in Valparaíso and held leadership roles in several party conventions.

He was elected Deputy for the 6th Departmental Group —Quillota and Valparaíso— for the 1937–1941 term, serving on the Standing Committee on Finance and as replacement member on the Committees on National Defense, and Labour and Social Legislation.

He was re-elected Deputy for the same constituency for the 1945–1949 term. During this period, he served on the Standing Committee on National Defense and as replacement member on the Committee on Labour and Social Legislation.

Diplomatic career In 1950, he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and served as Counsellor of Chile to the United Nations. He later served as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim in Nicaragua (1951–1952) and Brazil (1953–1954). He held senior positions within the Foreign Ministry, including Head of the Departments of Treaties and Boundaries and Political Affairs, Subdirector of the Ceremonial Department, and diplomatic posts in Ecuador and Venezuela. He was Consul General of Chile in Belgium between 1974 and 1975.

He collaborated with newspapers such as El Mercurio and La Unión of Valparaíso, El Imparcial and El Diario Ilustrado of Santiago, and served as correspondent in Chile for the Spanish magazine La Semana and for El Diario of Buenos Aires.

He received several international decorations, including the Order of the Southern Cross of Brazil, the Condor of the Andes of Bolivia, the Order of Distinguished Service of Peru, the Order of Leopold of Belgium, and the Order of Isabella the Catholic of Spain.

He was a member of the Fifth Fire Company of Santiago and a member of the Club de la Unión of Santiago.

Lorca Cortínez died in Santiago on 30 May 1976.