Abraham König
Abraham König Velásquez (1846 – 10 August 1925) was a Chilean lawyer, journalist and politician who served several terms as a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile and as Minister of War and Navy under President José Manuel Balmaceda.
He was a member of the Radical Party and was also active in journalism, academia and the diplomatic service.
Early life
König was born in Ancud, Chiloé, in 1846 to Etian Mari König and Carlota Velásquez Oresqui. He studied at the Seminary of Ancud and later at the Instituto Nacional in Santiago. He qualified as a lawyer on 8 June 1869.
König subsequently pursued journalism, contributing to newspapers including El Deber of Valparaíso, El Heraldo, La Época, El Ferrocarril and La Ley. He later taught constitutional law at the University of Chile and served as a military auditor.
Political career
A member of the Radical Party, König was elected substitute deputy for Ancud for the 1870–1873 term and took his seat on 13 September 1870. He participated in the Constituent Congress of 1870. He was subsequently elected substitute deputy for La Ligua for 1876–1879 and deputy for Chillán for 1879–1882.
After a period outside Congress, König was elected deputy for Copiapó and Chañaral for the 1885–1888 term and was reelected for the same constituency for 1888–1891. During these terms, he was particularly involved in the Chamber's Permanent Commission on War and Navy.
Under President José Manuel Balmaceda, König served as Minister of War and Navy from 11 June to 12 October 1889.
König returned to the Chamber of Deputies as representative for Illapel, Ovalle and Combarbalá for the 1897–1900 term, serving on the Permanent Commission on Foreign Relations. He subsequently represented Chile in Bolivia between 1899 and 1901.
König died in Santiago on 10 August 1925.