Miguel Alemán Valdés

Miguel Alemán Valdés (1902-1983), president of Mexico (1946-1952), born in Sayula, and educated at the National University in Mexico City. In 1930 he was elected to the National Congress as deputy from the state of Veracruz, becoming a senator in 1935 and governor in 1936. He was minister of the interior from 1940 to 1945, when he resigned to run for president as the candidate of the National Revolutionary party (that he renamed the Institutional Revolutionary Party). Elected president of Mexico in 1946, he embarked upon a vigorous programme of industrialization, for which he negotiated a large loan from the Export-Import Bank of the United States in 1947. Alemán also made long-term plans for the government controlled oil industry, presided over the expansion of the rail system, and improved Mexico City's water supply. His administration, however, was accused of pervasive corruption, and financial problems surfaced soon after his tenure ended. In his later years, Alemán was involved in promoting tourism and helped to bring the Olympic Games to Mexico City in 1968.