He was the son of Andrés Ricardo Bello, and grandson of Andres Bello. He did his early studies at the Colegio inglés, the Instituto Nacional and the Universidad de Chile, graduating as a lawyer in 1889. Due to his support of president José Manuel Balmaceda during the 1891 Chilean Civil War, he was forced to exile himself. He later was allowed to return and organized the Liberal Democratic Party in Valparaiso. He was several times minister and ambassador to Bolivia and México.