Rafael del Río

Rafael del Río Gundián (born 13 May 1897) was a Chilean civil engineer and politician of the Liberal Party. He served as a deputy during the XXXVII Legislative Period of the National Congress of Chile, representing the 13th Departamental Grouping between 1933 and 1937.

Biography Del Río Gundián was born in Santiago on 13 May 1897, the son of Rafael del Río Pozo and Avelina Gundián del Río. He married Javiera de la Torre Urrutia in Cauquenes on 13 May 1922; the couple had four children.

He studied at the Liceo of Cauquenes and later at the University of Chile, where he earned his degree in civil engineering in 1921.

He pursued a professional career as an engineer, serving as inspector of the sewage system of Cauquenes, engineer of the provinces of Maule and Concepción, and later as delegated engineer of Obras Sanitarias in northern Chile, a position he held until 1955. From 1936 onward, he also engaged in agricultural activities, exploiting the estate Santa Dolores in Cauquenes. He collaborated in the press with articles on political and economic topics.

Political career A member of the Liberal Party, del Río Gundián was elected deputy for the 13th Departamental Grouping (Constitución and Cauquenes) for the 1933–1937 legislative period.

In the Chamber of Deputies, he served as a substitute member of the Standing Committee on Government Interior and as a full member of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Colonization. He was the author of several legislative initiatives, including a 1933 law improving the economic conditions of postal and telegraph personnel, measures benefiting small farmers, and tax exemptions for buildings constructed during specific periods.

He was a member of the Institute of Engineers of Chile.