Miguel Alemán Valdés (29 September 1902 – 14 May 1983) served as the President of Mexico from 1946 to 1952.

Life

As a child Alemán was not permitted to attend school in his home town, due to his father's (a former revolutionary general) political beliefs, but studied in other areas instead. He attended the National Preparatory School in Mexico City from 1920–1925, and then went to the National School of Law until 1928, completing his law degree with his thesis on occupational diseases and accidents among workers. Representing the Party of the Mexican Revolution (an earlier name of the party later known as the PRI), he served as Senator from the state of Veracruz from 1934–1936, and then as Governor of Veracruz from 1936-1939. From 1940 to 1945, he served as Secretary of the Interior under Manuel Ávila Camacho, after directing his presidential campaign. He became President of the Republic in 1946, and served until 1952. In 1961, he was named president of the national tourist commission, and was influential in bringing the 1968 Summer Olympics to Mexico.

Presidential years

As president, Alemán pursued industrial development, increasing the extension of the nation's rail network, improving highways, and constructing a number of major schools. To accomplish this, in 1947 he negotiated a major loan from the United States. He also worked extensively with irrigation and farming, greatly expanding the national production of rice, sugar, bananas, coffee, oats, and pineapple. He faced the appearance of foot-and-mouth disease and killed thousands of cattle in order to contain it. He gave women the right to vote in municipal elections during his term, and in 1952, elevated Baja California to state status. Internationally, he signed peace agreements with Japan, Germany and Italy following World War II, had a hand in a truce between Pakistan and India, and worked with the United States on the issue of the braceros.

References

• Mexican government biography
• Biography
• Camp, Roderic A. Mexican Political Biographies. Tucson, Arizona: University of Arizona, 1982.