Oscar Peña y Lillo

Oscar Peña y Lillo Niño de Zepeda (1893 – ?) was a Chilean mining engineer and politician. A member of the Radical Party, he served as a deputy for the Fourth Departamental Grouping (La Serena, Coquimbo, Elqui, Ovalle, Combarbalá and Illapel) during the 1930–1934 legislative period.

He served as second councillor of the Corps of Mining Engineers and participated in the creation of the Institute of Mining Engineers, which he presided over for three years.

Biography Peña y Lillo was born in La Serena in 1893, the son of Severo Peña y Lillo Alonso and Melania Niño de Zepeda Rojas.

He studied at the Liceo of La Serena and later engineering at the University of Chile, graduating as a mining engineer on 6 December 1920.

He worked within the Sociedad Nacional de Minería (SONAMI), serving as deputy secretary, librarian and head of the publication of the Padrón de Minas. He also served as director of the Boletín Minero and later as secretary and secretary-general of the institution in 1935.

He was a member of the board of the Mining Credit Fund (Caja de Crédito Minero) and of the Banco del Estado de Chile. In 1929 he acted as adviser to the General Commissioner of the Chilean Government at the Seville Exposition.

Peña y Lillo worked as administrative engineer of the mining company Mercedes de Arqueros and supervised the operations of the mining company La Florida. He also served as second engineer of the Superintendency of Nitrate and Mines in 1927 and 1928, and was assistant instructor in the chair of General Chemistry at the University of Chile.

Political career Peña y Lillo was a member of the Radical Party. In the 1930 parliamentary elections he was elected deputy for the Fourth Departamental Grouping (La Serena, Coquimbo, Elqui, Ovalle, Combarbalá and Illapel) for the 1930–1934 legislative period.

During his time in Congress he served on the Permanent Commission on Industry and Commerce and as substitute member of the Permanent Commission on Public Education.

The 1932 Chilean coup d'état led to the dissolution of the National Congress on 6 June of that year.