Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Most Excellent
Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| 31st President of Mexico | |
| In office 19 July 1872 – 31 October 1876 |
|
| Preceded by | Benito Juárez |
| Succeeded by | José María Iglesias |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada y Corral
24 April 1823 Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico |
| Died | 21 April 1889 (aged 65) New York City, United States |
| Resting place | Rotunda of Illustrious Persons |
| Political party | Liberal |
Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada y Corral (born April 24, 1823 – died April 21, 1889) was an important Mexican politician and lawyer. He was a liberal leader who served as the 27th president of Mexico from 1872 to 1876.
Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada became president after Benito Juárez passed away in July 1872. He was then elected to his own term in November 1872. Before becoming president, he was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. During his time as president, he helped bring peace to Mexico after many years of trouble. He also made the Mexican government stronger.
In 1876, he ran for president again and won. However, a general named Porfirio Díaz and his supporters overthrew him. They believed that a president should not be re-elected. Lerdo de Tejada went to live in New York City, where he later died. His body was brought back to Mexico and buried with honors.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada was born in Xalapa, Veracruz. His family was middle class. He was the younger brother of Miguel Lerdo de Tejada, who was also an important figure.
Sebastián first studied to become a priest. He received a scholarship to study theology in Puebla. However, he decided not to become a priest. In 1851, he earned a law degree from a famous school in Mexico City called Colegio de San Ildefonso. He later became the director of this school when he was 29 years old.
Political Career
Early Roles in Government
In 1855, Lerdo de Tejada worked as a prosecutor for the Supreme Court. He became known as a strong liberal leader and a supporter of President Benito Juárez. In 1857, he served as the minister of foreign affairs for a few months.
He was also the President of the Chamber of Deputies (like the head of Congress) several times. He disagreed with a plan to restart debt payments to Britain, and this plan was stopped by Congress.
Supporting the Republic
During the time when France invaded Mexico and Maximilian I ruled, Lerdo de Tejada stayed loyal to the Mexican Republic. He played a big part in fighting against the French. The Republican government had to leave Mexico City in 1863, but it stayed in Mexico and never left the country.
In 1863, Lerdo de Tejada became a minister in Juárez's government. He was in charge of foreign affairs, internal affairs, and justice. Throughout the French occupation, Lerdo de Tejada was President Juárez's closest friend and advisor. He helped Juárez stay in power during the war.
After the French Left
When the Republic won in 1867, Lerdo de Tejada became very powerful. He was minister of foreign affairs, minister of the interior, a member of Congress, and president of the Supreme Court all at the same time. He helped Juárez make the federal government stronger.
In 1871, Lerdo de Tejada ran for president against Juárez and Porfirio Díaz. He came in third place. After Juárez won, Lerdo de Tejada went back to the Supreme Court. When Juárez passed away in July 1872, Lerdo de Tejada became the temporary president.
President of Mexico
As interim president, Lerdo de Tejada held elections and won the presidency on his own. He kept most of Juárez's cabinet members. He wanted peace and order in the country.
During his time as president, he successfully brought peace to Mexico. He stopped a powerful regional leader named Manuel Lozada. Lerdo de Tejada used federal troops to defeat Lozada, and this helped calm the country.
Lerdo de Tejada also continued projects that Juárez had started, like building railways. He opened the first railway line in Mexico, which connected the port of Veracruz to Mexico City in 1873. However, he was careful about building railways too close to the U.S. border. He worried about the U.S. having too much influence in northern Mexico. He famously said, "Between strength and weakness, the desert," meaning the desert was a good barrier between Mexico and the stronger U.S.
The important Laws of the Reform were added to a new Constitution in 1873. Also, the Sisters of Charity were asked to leave the country. In 1874, Mexico bought four small warships for its customs service. Lerdo de Tejada also brought back the Senate.
End of His Presidency
Lerdo de Tejada ran for a second term as president in 1876. This gave his opponents a reason to fight against him, using the idea of "no re-election." Porfirio Díaz, who had tried to revolt against Juárez earlier, now challenged Lerdo de Tejada. Díaz issued a plan called the Plan of Tuxtepec.
Lerdo de Tejada won the election on July 24, 1876. Some people said the election was unfair, but Lerdo de Tejada allowed the newspapers to print these accusations. People began to call for a rebellion. The President of the Supreme Court, José María Iglesias, also said the election was fraudulent.
Lerdo de Tejada had become unpopular because of how he tried to get re-elected. He also wanted a very strong central government, which limited the rights of the states. His forces were defeated by Díaz in a big battle on November 16, 1876. Díaz became president on November 28, 1876.
Lerdo de Tejada went to live in New York City, where he died years later. His former rival, President Díaz, ordered that Lerdo de Tejada's body be brought back to Mexico. He was buried with full honors in the Rotonda of Illustrious Men. His overthrow marked the end of the "Restored Republic" period and the beginning of the Porfiriato, which was the time when Porfirio Díaz ruled Mexico for many years.
Legacy
Some historians say that Lerdo de Tejada is often misunderstood. He might not have been as famous as Juárez or Díaz, but his presidency continued the important changes of the Liberal Reform. These changes helped modernize Mexico during a time of peace. A statue of Lerdo de Tejada stands outside the Mexican Congress. The city of Toluca de Lerdo is named after him, though it is usually just called "Toluca."
Cabinet Members
Here are some of the people who served in Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada's cabinet:
- Defense: Ignacio Mejía, Mariano Escobedo
- Finance: Francisco Mejía
- Foreign Affairs: José María Lafragua, Juan de Dios Arias, Manuel Romero Rubio
- Industry and Commerce: Blas Balcárcel
- Interior: Cayetano Gómez Pérez, Juan José Baz
- Justice: Ramón I. Alcázar
See also
