Lorenzo Montt Montt (6 December 1866 – 6 February 1930) was a Chilean lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile, as Mayor of Valparaíso, and as Minister of Justice and Public Instruction under President Juan Luis Sanfuentes.
Outside politics, Montt taught international law at the University of Chile. He also continued his involvement in business and professional activities during the 1920s.
In his later years, a heart condition led him to retire from legal practice. He spent the remainder of his life in Santiago, where he died on 6 February 1930, aged 63.
Early life and career Montt was born in Santiago on 6 December 1866, the son of Ambrosio Montt Luco and Luz Montt Montt. He married Rosa Wilms Brieba, with whom he had children.
He qualified as a lawyer in 1888 and subsequently established his legal practice in Valparaíso, where he worked primarily on behalf of the city's commercial sector. In 1893, he became head of the Diplomatic and Consular Section of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Montt was also involved in private-sector organizations. In 1902, he served as secretary of the board of the Sociedad Chilena de Fósforos Diamantes, and later became vice president of the Compañía Industrial in 1923.
Political career Montt became active in politics as a member of the Liberal Doctrinario movement. In 1905, he was elected first mayor of Valparaíso.
He was elected to the Chamber of Deputies for Valparaíso and Casablanca for the 1918–1921 legislative term. During his parliamentary service, he sat on the permanent committee for foreign relations and colonization and was a member of the Comisión Conservadora during the congressional recesses of 1918–1919 and 1919–1920.
Within the Liberal Alliance, Montt emerged as one of its prominent parliamentary figures. He participated in negotiations among the different political groups represented in Congress, maintaining contacts with moderate liberals as well as conservative and Balmacedist politicians.
President Juan Luis Sanfuentes appointed Montt Minister of Justice and Public Instruction on 1 July 1920. He remained in office until 23 December 1920, when Arturo Alessandri assumed the presidency.
Montt was later nominated by members of his political party as a candidate for the Senate, but was not elected. Following this electoral defeat, he withdrew from active politics and returned to his legal career.
References
External links BCN Profile