Pedro Lascuráin

Pedro Lascuráin Paredes (Pedro José Domingo de la Calzada Manuel María Lascuráin Paredes; 8 May 1856– 21 July 1952) [1][2] was a Mexican politician who served as the 34th President of Mexico for less than one hour on February 19, 1913, the shortest presidency in the history of the world. He had earlier served as Mexico's foreign secretary for two terms and was the director of a small law school in Mexico City for sixteen years.

This article uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Lascuráin and the second or maternal family name is Paredes.
Pedro Lascuráin
34th President of Mexico
Acting
In office
19 February 1913
(c. 45 minutes)
Preceded byFrancisco I. Madero
Succeeded byVictoriano Huerta
Secretary of Foreign Affairs
In office
10 April, 1912 – 19 February, 1913
PresidentFrancisco I. Madero
Preceded byManuel Calero y Sierra
Succeeded byFederico Gamboa
Personal details
Born(1856-05-08)8 May 1856
Mexico City, Mexico
Died21 July 1952(1952-07-21) (aged 96)
Mexico City, Mexico
NationalityMexican
Spouse(s)María Flores

Early life

Lascuráin was born in Mexico City in 1856. He was the son of Francisco Lascuráin Icaza and Ana Paredes Cortés.[2]

Early career

Lascuráin received a law degree in 1880 from the Escuela Nacional de Jurisprudencia (National School of Jurisprudence) in Mexico City. He was mayor of Mexico City in 1910 when Francisco I. Madero began a campaign against the re-election of Porfirio Díaz. Lascuráin was a supporter of Madero, and after Madero was elected president to replace Díaz, Lascuráin served twice as foreign secretary in Madero's cabinet (10 April 1912 to 4 December 1912 and 15 January 1913 to 19 February 1913). In between the two terms, he again became mayor of the Mexico City. As foreign secretary, he had to deal with the demands of U.S. Ambassador Henry Lane Wilson.

Presidency

On 19 February 1913, General Victoriano Huerta overthrew Madero. Lascuráin was one of the people who convinced Madero to resign the presidency while he was being held prisoner in the National Palace and claimed that his life was in danger if he refused.

Under the 1857 Constitution of Mexico, the vice-president, the attorney general, the foreign secretary, and the interior secretary stood in line to the presidency. As well as Madero, Huerta had ousted Vice-President José María Pino Suárez and Attorney General Adolfo Valles Baca.[3] To give the coup d'état some appearance of legality, he had Lascuráin, as foreign secretary, assume the presidency, who would then appoint him as his interior secretary, making Huerta next in line to the presidency, and then resign.

The presidency thus passed to Huerta. As a consequence, Lascuráin was president for less than an hour; sources quote figures ranging from 15 to 56 minutes.[4] To date, Lascuráin's presidency is the shortest in history, even briefer than that of Venezuelan politician Diosdado Cabello in 2002.

Huerta called a late-night special session of Congress, and under the guns of his troops, the legislators endorsed his assumption of power. A few days later, Huerta had Madero and Pino Suárez killed. The coup and the events surrounding it became known as La decena trágica ("the tragic ten [days]").

Later life

Huerta offered Lascuráin a post in his cabinet, but Lascuráin declined. He retired from politics and began practicing again as a lawyer. He was the director of the Escuela Libre de Derecho, a conservative law school, for 16 years and published extensively on commercial and civil law. Lascuráin died on July 21, 1952 at the age of 96, the second oldest former Mexican president.[2]

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See also

Notes
  1. Lascuráin, un presidente tan fugaz como medio partido de fútbol
  2. http://www.buscabiografias.com/biografia/verDetalle/10096/Pedro%20Lascurain
  3. "Procurador General de la República". Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2011-05-22.
  4. Braddy, Haldeen (Autumn 1969). "Revolution: Agony South of the Border". Montana: The Magazine of Western History. Montana Historical Society. 19 (4): 32, 44. JSTOR 4517403. Pedro Lascurain (Interim President for 28 minutes) became president for one day only, February 19, 1913

References
  • (in Spanish) "Lascuráin Paredes, Pedro", Enciclopedia de México, vol. 8. Mexico City, 1996, ISBN 1-56409-016-7
  • (in Spanish) Altamirano Cozzi, Graziella, Pedro Lascurain: Un hombre en la encrucijada de la revolución. Instituto Mora, 2004, ISBN 978-970-684-097-4
  • (in Spanish) García Purón, Manuel, México y sus gobernantes, v. 2. Mexico City: Joaquín Porrua, 1984.
  • (in Spanish) Orozco Linares, Fernando, Gobernantes de México. Mexico City: Panorama Editorial, 1985, ISBN 968-38-0260-5
Political offices
Preceded by
Francisco I. Madero		 President of Mexico
19 February 1913
(c. 45 minutes)		 Succeeded by
Victoriano Huerta
Records
Preceded by
Philippe Pétain		 Oldest living state leader
23 July 1951 – 21 July 1952		 Succeeded by
Christopher Hornsrud
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