Justo Zamora Rivera (2 July 1902 – 5 November 2001) was a Chilean laborer, trade union leader and communist politician who served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies between 1941 and 1945.[1]
Justo Zamora Rivera | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| In office 15 May 1941 – 15 May 1945 | |
| Constituency | 17th Departmental Group |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 July 1902 |
| Died | 5 November 2001 (aged 99) |
| Party | Communist Party |
| Spouse(s) |
Olga Arias Silva (m. 1931)Humilde del Carmen Figueroa Pereira
(m. 2001) |
| Profession | Laborer |
Biography
editZamora Rivera was born in Puchuncaví, Chile, the son of Leoncio Zamora Valencia and Delia Rivera Ureta.[1] He was largely self-educated and received political training within the Communist Party.[1]
He worked as a nitrate miner in mechanical workshops, later as a private driver and freight transporter between Santiago and Valparaíso, and as a public transport driver in both cities.[1] He became a prominent trade union leader in Valparaíso, representing tramway workers and drivers, and was active in the Transport Workers’ Guild.[1]
Political career
editZamora Rivera joined the Communist Party in 1930 and remained a member until 1990.[1] During periods of political repression, he participated in the National Progressive Party while the Communist Party operated clandestinely.[1]
He served as regional secretary of the Communist Party in Aconcagua and Valparaíso (1931–1937), later in Concepción (1940), and became a member of the party’s Central Committee in 1936.[1] He also presided over the party’s agrarian commission in 1940.[1]
In 1932, he was exiled to Mocha Island by the government of Carlos Dávila Espinoza, and in 1933 he was detained for four months for his participation in a Communist congress held in Ovalle.[1] He collaborated with party-affiliated newspapers such as *El Siglo* in Santiago and *El Frente Popular* in Concepción.[1]
Zamora Rivera was elected Deputy for the 17th Departmental Group—Concepción, Tomé, Talcahuano, Yumbel and Coronel—serving from 1941 to 1945. During his term, he was a member of the Standing Committees on Finance and on Government and Internal Affairs.[1]
Later life
editHe received the Luis Emilio Recabarren Medal in 1965 and a medal commemorating 50 years of Communist Party membership in 1980.[1]
In 1991, he joined the Democratic Left Party, where he served on its political committee and was named honorary president in 1998.[1]