Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada

He was born in Xalapa, Veracruz, into a middle class Criollo family, the younger brother of Miguel Lerdo de Tejada. After studying theology as a scholarship student in the Palafoxiano Seminary in Puebla he received minor orders, but decided not to enter priesthood. In 1851 he earned a law degree from Colegio de San Ildefonso in Mexico City, a famed institution he began directing at the age of 29 (1852–1863).

Early positions In 1855, he served as a prosecutor before the Supreme Court. He became known as a Liberal leader and a supporter of President Benito Juárez. In 1857, he was minister of foreign affairs for three months under Ignacio Comonfort. He became the President of the Chamber of Deputies in 1861, 1862 and 1863. 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 Maximilian I, 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 of Mexico City on 31 May 1863. The Republican government continued at one place or another within the country, but never left the country during Maximilian's reign. On 12 September 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 17 January 1871, 14 January 1868 and 11 September 1863, respectively. Throughout the French occupation and Maximilian's Second Empire, Lerdo de Tejada was President Juárez's closest ally and confident. On 8 November 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. Restored Republic under Juárez Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada Upon the triumph of the Republic in 1867, Lerdo de Tejada, "according to some sources ... convinced Juárez not to pardon Maximilian," who was executed in Querétaro along with two Mexicans loyal to the emperor. Once the Republicans were returned to power, Lerdo de Tejada simultaneously became minister of foreign affairs, minister of the interior, a deputy in Congress and president of the Supreme Court. Lerdo de Tejada aided Juárez's push to centralize the power of the federal government and opposing the use of violence against local forces of opposition. Lerdo de Tejada was key for construction of what became a liberal political machine in this era. He became involved with state politics to gain political allies for the federal centralizing state. In 1871, he was a candidate for president of the Republic, running against Juárez and Porfirio Díaz. He came in third in the race against the president who kept the republic intact during the French intervention and one of the Mexican military heroes of republican resistance. Following Juárez's victory he returned to the Supreme Court. Díaz revolted against Juárez opposing the president's continuation in power in the Plan de la Noria. The revolt was defeated and Díaz sent into political exile, allowing the last of Juárez's term relatively free of political conflict. With Juárez's death caused by a heart attack in July 1872, Lerdo de Tejada was the constitutional successor to the presidency. As president Photo of Lerdo de Tejada, c.1870s-1880s

Monument to Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada in front of the Mexican Congress. Lerdo de Tejada's principal biographer in English, Frank Averill Knapp, titled his work, The Life of Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada, 1823–1889: a study of influence and obscurity, an indication of Lerdo's ambiguous legacy. He says "No Mexican President has been more maligned, misunderstood, and misrepresented" than Lerdo de Tejada. He did not have the implacable tenacity of Juárez nor the military achievements and political longevity of Porfirio Díaz, both of indigenous heritage from Oaxaca. But Lerdo de Tejada's presidency was a continuation of the policies of the Liberal Reform, whose laws could be implemented in times of relative peace. As such, he can be seen as one in a line of liberals aiming to modernize Mexico. A statue of Lerdo de Tejada stands outside the Mexican Congress. The city of Toluca de Lerdo was named after Lerdo de Tejada; however, the city is more commonly referred to as "Toluca".

Defense (Guerra y Marina): Ignacio Mejía (July 19, 1872 – August 30, 1876). Mariano Escobedo (August 31, 1876 – November 20, 1876). Finance (Hacienda): Francisco Mejía (July 19, 1872 – November 20, 1876). Foreign Affairs (Relaciones Exteriores): José María Lafragua (July 19, 1872 – November 15, 1875). Juan de Dios Arias (November 15, 1875 – August 30, 1876). Manuel Romero Rubio (August 31, 1876 – November 20; 1876). Industry and Commerce (Fomento): Blas Balcárcel (July 19, 1872 – November 20, 1876). Interior (Gobernación): Cayetano Gómez Pérez (July 19, 1872 – September 26, 1876). Juan José Baz (September 27, 1876 – November 20; 1876). Justice (Justicia): Ramón I. Alcázar (July 19, 1872 – November 20, 1876). Source: