Juan de Dios Valenzuela

Juan de Dios Valenzuela Rodríguez (born 9 October 1889–?) was a Chilean businessman and politician. A founding member of the Radical Socialist Party in Antofagasta, he served as deputy for the Second Departmental Grouping of northern Chile between 1933 and 1937.

Biography Valenzuela was born in Maule on 9 October 1889, the son of Manuel Antonio Valenzuela Quintana and Florinda Rodríguez Martínez. He completed his secondary education at the Liceo de Talca.

In Antofagasta, he founded and became a partner in the import company Whittele y Barbaste. He worked as a customs agent in Antofagasta between 1921 and 1932. In parallel, he engaged in agricultural activities, operating the El Empedrado estate in Maule.

Political career A militant and founding member of the Radical Socialist Party in Antofagasta, Valenzuela Rodríguez was elected deputy for the Second Departmental Grouping of Tocopilla, El Loa, Antofagasta and Taltal, serving during the 1933–1937 legislative period.

In the Chamber of Deputies, he served on the Standing Committee on Roads and Public Works, which he chaired, and on the Extraordinary Taxation Committee. He was a strong advocate for the construction of the Salta Railway, securing an initial budget allocation of five million pesos. He also obtained funding for mining development in northern Chile and collaborated with Deputy Silva Pinto on the project to remove the railway line from Matucana Avenue in Santiago.

Outside Parliament, he was a founder and five-time consecutive president of the Society for the Protection of Employees in Antofagasta.