Everything about Sebasti N Lerdo De Tejada totally explained
Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada y Corral (
Jalapa,
Veracruz,
April 24,
1823 –
April 21,
1889 in
New York City) was a jurist and Liberal president of
Mexico.
Background
He was born in Jalapa, Veracruz, into a
Criollo family. After studying five years of theology as a scholarship student in the Palafoxiano Seminary in
Puebla he received minor orders, but decided not to enter the priesthood. In
1851 he graduated with a law degree from the
Colegio de San Idelfonso in Mexico City, a famed institution he ended up directing at the age of 29 (1852-53).
In
1855 he served as a prosecutor before the
Supreme Court. He became known as a Liberal leader and a supporter of
President Juárez. In
1857 he was minister of foreign affairs for three months under
Ignacio Comonfort and he became president of the
Chamber of Deputies in
1861. He opposed the Wyke-Zamacona Convention to resume debt payments to Britain. This convention was defeated in Congress.
During the
French intervention and the reign of
Emperor Maximilian he continued to be loyal to the republicans, and had an active share in conducting the national resistance. In the face of the French invaders, the Republican government was forced to abandon the capital on
May 31,
1863. The government continued at one place or another within the country, but never left the country during Maximilian's reign.
On
September 12,
1863 in
San Luis Potosí Lerdo de Tejada was named minister of foreign affairs, of the interior and of justice in Juárez's cabinet. He held these posts until
January 17,
1871,
January 14,
1868 and
September 11,
1863, respectively. Throughout the French occupation and Maximilian's Second Empire, Lerdo de Tejada was President Juárez's closest ally and confident. On
November 8,
1865 he signed the decree extending Juárez's term until the end of the war. In doing so, he opposed the claims of General
Jesús González Ortega, who wished to succeed Juárez.
Upon the triumph of the Republic in 1865, Lerdo de Tejada became minister of foreign affairs, minister of the interior, a deputy in Congress and president of the Supreme Court (simultaneously). In 1871 he was a candidate for president of the Republic, but after Juárez's victory he returned to the Supreme Court.
As president
As president of the Supreme Court, he succeeded to the presidency after Juárez's death (
July 18,
1872), in the midst of a revolt. This made him interim president, but Congress soon elected him president in his own right, overwhelmingly.
Lerdo kept Juárez's cabinet basically unchanged and promulgated a limited amnesty law. During his term, he achieved some success in pacifying the country and began the construction of railways. The railway from Veracruz to Mexico City was inaugurated in January 1873. General Ramón Corona defeated rebel cacique Manuel Lozada at La Mojonera, thus pacifying
Tepic. Lozada was taken prisoner in the battle and shot. The Laws of the Reform were incorporated into the Constitution (
September 25,
1873). The Sisters of Charity were expelled from the country. In 1874 four small steamships of war were acquired for the customs service. Lerdo also reestablished the
Senate.
His overthrow
Fidencio Hernández began a revolt (
Plan de Tuxtepec, Oaxaca) on
January 10,
1876. This revolt was soon joined by
Porfirio Díaz, under the slogan of "No reelection." Lerdo was reelected on
July 24,
1876, with a small majority and amid charges of fraud. He had made himself unpopular by the means he took to secure his reelection, by his disposition to limit state rights in favor of a strongly centralized government, and because of measures such as the expulsion of the Sisters of Charity. His forces were defeated by Díaz in the decisive
Battle of Tecoac on
November 16,
1876. Díaz assumed the presidency on
November 28,
1876.
José María Iglesias also claimed the presidency, by virtue of his position as president of the Supreme Court (
October 31,
1876). Díaz went on to defeat Iglesias as well.
Lerdo de Tejada went into exile in
New York, where he died some years later. On the orders of President Díaz, he was buried in Mexico with full honors, in the Rotunda of Illustrious Men.
Lerdo was very intelligent and a man of great culture. He was also a notable jurist and an excellent orator. He had many loyal friends and supporters. However he was also ambitious and with a tendency to discount any opinions that didn't support his own.
His brother
Miguel Lerdo de Tejada was also a notable political figure.
The "Lerdo" portion of the city of
Toluca de Lerdo was named after Lerdo de Tejada; however today the city is more commonly referred to as just "Toluca".
Cabinet
- Defense (Guerra y Marina):
- Finance (Hacienda):
- Foreign Affairs (Relaciones Exteriores):
- Industry and Commerce (Fomento):
- Interior (Gobernación):
- Justice (Justicia):
Further Information
Get more info on 'Sebasti N Lerdo De Tejada'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://sebasti__n_lerdo_de_tejada.totallyexplained.com">Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
)