Luis Schmidt Quezada

Luis Schmidt Quezada (1 July 1887 – 8 December 1959) was a Chilean lawyer and politician of German descent who was a member of the Liberal Party (PL). He served as a minister of state during the first administration of President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo and as mayor of Arica.

Early life

Schmidt was born in Angol on 1 July 1887, the son of Juana Quezada del Río and German immigrant Teodoro Schmidt Weichsel, who had arrived in Chile in 1858 at the age of 24. He studied at the University of Chile, graduating with a law degree in 1902.

He first married Carolina Mac-Quade Recart. Following her death, he married her sister, Juana Mac-Quade Recart; both were daughters of Guillermo Mac-Quade Azócar and Carolina Recart Novion. Schmidt and his second wife had two children, Lucía and Alfredo. The latter was the father of Carolina Schmidt, who later served as a cabinet minister during both administrations of President Sebastián Piñera.

Political career

Schmidt practiced law before entering the public administration. He served as director-general of the Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado (EFE) and later as a director of the Federico Santa María Technical University. He was also vice president of the Central Bank of Chile, with which he was associated for approximately fifteen years.

A member of the Liberal Party, Schmidt was appointed Minister of Development by President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo on 24 February 1928. He remained in office until 23 August 1929. Concurrently, from 6 to 21 June 1928, he served as acting Minister of Social Welfare.