Sebastián Santandreu Herrera

Sebastián Santandreu Herrera (26 November 1896 – 29 January 1973) was a Chilean lawyer and politician.

A prominent figure within the Radical Party and later the Authentic Socialist Party, he served as Deputy of the Republic for more than two decades and was President of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile between 1944 and 1945.

Early life and education Santandreu Herrera was born in Santiago on 26 November 1896, the son of Sebastián Santandreu Riera and Antonia Herrera Serrano.

He studied at the Instituto Nacional General José Miguel Carrera and later at the University of Chile Law School, where he earned his law degree in 1920 with a thesis titled «La justicia de menor cuantía actual y sus reformas».

He married Blanca Elvira Cuevas Gutiérrez in 1922.

Professional career He practiced law as a civil law specialist and served as a counsellor of the «Corporación Nacional de Inversiones de Previsión» (1953–1954) and of the «Caja de la Habitación» (1953).

Political career A member of the Radical Party since 1923, Santandreu Herrera was first elected Deputy for the 9th Departmental Grouping (Rancagua, Cachapoal, Caupolicán and San Vicente) for the 1937–1941 legislative period, serving on the Permanent Commission of Labor and Social Legislation.

Re-elected for 1941–1945, he became vice-president of the Chamber of Deputies (1941–1944) and later its President (4 July 1944 – 15 May 1945). During 1944–1946 he joined the Authentic Socialist Party but continued to represent the same constituency.

He was subsequently re-elected for consecutive legislative periods (1945–1949, 1949–1953, 1953–1957 and 1957–1961), participating in the Permanent Commissions of Constitution, Legislation and Justice, Interior Government, Mining and Industry, Education, and Finance.

Death He died in Viña del Mar on 29 January 1973, aged 76.