Gustavo Olivares Faúndez

Gustavo Olivares Faúndez (19 February 1898 – 5 July 1960) was a Chilean chemist-pharmacist and politician of the Radical Party. Born in Ovalle to Belisario Olivares Pérez and Elena Faúndez, he married María Elena Barrios Barbaste in 1927.

Biography He studied at the Liceo de Hombres of Ovalle and later at the Liceo de Hombres of La Serena. He earned the degree of Chemist-Pharmacist from the University of Chile in 1920 with the thesis Industria de perfumería.

He practiced in Curicó and Ovalle between 1920 and 1925, eventually becoming owner of "Farmacia Olivares". He engaged in mining activities, agricultural work in the estate “El Ingenio” in Ovalle, operated a pharmaceutical import business, and served as general manager of Laboratorios Sanderson.

Political career A member of the Radical Party, Olivares served as president of the local branch in Ovalle.

In 1938 the Deputy Pedro Enrique Alfonso Barrios was appointed Minister of the Interior and replaced in Congress by Federico Alfonso Muñoz, who died in November 1938. The Qualifying Tribunal then awarded the seat to Olivares, who assumed for the remainder of the 1939–1941 term representing the 4th Departmental Group (La Serena, Coquimbo, Elqui, Ovalle, Illapel).

He was subsequently elected Deputy for the same constituency for the 1941–1945 term, serving on the Committee on Medical-Social Assistance and Hygiene. He was reelected for 1945–1949, joining the Committee on Labor and Social Legislation; and again for 1949–1953, serving on the Committee on Roads and Public Works.

He was a founding member and director of the Chilean College of Pharmacists (1950), director of the insurance company “La Previsión”, member of the Liga Protectora de Estudiantes and the Boy Scouts, and president of the Rotary Club.