Fernando Maturana Erbetta

Fernando Maturana Erbetta (29 May 1925 – 27 May 1995) was a Chilean lawyer and politician. He served two non-consecutive terms as Deputy for the 10th Departamental Group (San Fernando and Santa Cruz) between 1961–1965 and 1969–1973.

Early life Maturana was born in San Fernando, the son of Emiliano Maturana Maturana and Raquel Erbetta Vaccaro. He studied at the Instituto San Fernando of the Marist Brothers and at the Liceo de Hombres de San Fernando. He later entered the University of Chile, graduating as a lawyer on 17 June 1949 with the thesis Teoría de los accesorios en el Derecho Comercial.

Marriage and children He married María Angélica Cortés Rivera, with whom he had two children: Fernando Ramón and María del Pilar.

Public life He began his professional career as teaching assistant in Constitutional Law at the University of Chile Law School. He was also a professor of Political Economy and Civic Education at the Instituto Marista and the Liceo de Hombres de San Fernando, and a professor of Philosophy at the Liceo de Niñas of San Fernando and the Liceo Nocturno Neandro Schilling.

He practiced as a lawyer for the Banco de Chile in San Fernando and for Compañía de Cervecerías Unidas, and was director of Radio Magallanes. Between 1959 and 1960 he served as secretary and lawyer of the Intendencia of Colchagua Province. He was also President of the Lions Club and regional chief.

Political career Maturana was first a member of the Liberal Party, later becoming a founding member of the National Party in 1966, of which he served as president between 1963 and 1964, and later as first vice-president in September 1972 and June 1973.

In the 1961 elections, he was elected Deputy for the 10th Departamental Group (San Fernando and Santa Cruz) for the 1961–1965 term. He served on the Commissions of Constitution, Legislation and Justice; Public Education; Special Investigative Commission on the Student Strikes (1961); Public Works (1961); Internal Government (1961); Foreign Relations (1962); Mixed Commission on Executive Vetoes (1962–1963); and Labor and Social Legislation (1963–1964).

In the 1969 elections, he returned as Deputy for the same constituency for the 1969–1973 term. He served on the Commissions of Economy, Development and Reconstruction (1969); Finance (1969–1970); Special Investigative Commission on the State Bank Credit Concessions (1969–1970); Special Investigative Commission on Gold Coins (1969–1970); Mixed Commission on the application of the Constitutional Reform (1970–1971); and Special Investigative Commission on the Copper issue (1970–1971). In 1969 he traveled to Bogotá, Colombia as part of the Interparliamentary Commission.

He was a member of the National Party’s parliamentary committee between 1969 and 1970. In March 1971, he co-founded the daily Tribuna, an opposition newspaper to the government of Salvador Allende.

Among the motions he presented that became law was Law 17.229 of 5 November 1969, authorizing the contracting of a loan in Colchagua Province.

In 1985, he was one of the signatories of the Acuerdo Nacional para la Transición a la Plena Democracia, representing the Movimiento de Unión Nacional. Later he was a founding member of National Renewal. He was a candidate for senator for Circumscription 14 (Araucanía Norte) in the 1989 Chilean parliamentary election, but was not elected.

He died in Santiago on 27 May 1995.