He studied at Escuela N.º 3 and the Liceo de Hombres in
Ovalle, and later at the
Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, where he graduated as a chemical engineer in 1952 with a B.Sc. He managed the family tannery “Curtiembre Limarí” and worked in industries in María Elena and
Valparaíso. A member of the
Christian Democratic Party (Chile), he held local and regional party roles, and participated in Eduardo Frei Montalva's 1964 presidential campaign. Elected Deputy in 1965, he was reelected in 1969 and 1973. During his legislative career he served on the Committees on Finance; Agriculture and Colonization; and Mining. Following the 1973 coup, Congress was dissolved. Later, in 1994, he worked as an analyst for CONICYT. Penna died on 4 January 2023, at the age of 93. ==References==