Enrique van Rysselberghe Varela

He died in a car accident at kilometer 20 of Route Q-57, which connects the towns of Cabrero and Yungay, in the center-south area, on 21 January 2013, at the age of 75. He was buried on 23 January in the Cementerio General de Concepción [es].

He married María Norma Herrera Caire, with whom he had five children: Jacqueline (senator for the 12th District, Biobío Costa, intendant of the Biobío Region, mayor of Concepción), Michelle, Karen, Enrique (councilor for Concepción, deputy for the 44th District and senator for Biobío) and Cristián.

In his capacity as owner of the Empresa Constructora Rysselberghe y Cia. Ltda, he had a debt with CORFO for the non-payment of a mortgage and a debt with the municipality of Concepción for the extraction and commercialization of aggregates without a patent, because of which he faced a lawsuit in 2000 filed by the municipality, which was nullified after his daughter Jacqueline was elected mayor. These problems caused his withdrawal from politics.

At the end of 1997, he was elected deputy for the 44th District (Concepción, San Pedro de la Paz and Chiguayante), in the central-southern area of the country. In the Chamber he was part of the Public Works, Transport and Telecommunications commissions, and the Human Rights, Nationality and Citizenship commissions.

He was the son of Enrique van Rysselberghe Martínez, mayor of Concepción in the 1970s and a descendant of François van Rysselberghe, and of Julieta Varela Santa María, descendant of President Domingo Santa María (1881-1886). He studied architecture at the Catholic University and later created several companies, including Arenas Bío-Bío.

He was in charge of the Vivienda de Cáritas Chile (INVICA) for the south central area in the 1960s.

Enrique van Rysselberghe Varela (4 April 1937 – 21 January 2013) was a Chilean architect, businessman and right-wing politician. He was deputy for his hometown between 1998 and 2002.