Adolfo Ruiz Cortines
A quiet but decisive president who gave Mexican women the vote and steered the nation's post-war economic boom with steady, pragmatic hands.
1890–1973 (age 83)·President of Mexico from 1952 to 1958·Birthday: December 30·The Lost Generation
Biography
Adolfo Ruiz Cortines emerged from the Mexican Revolution's administrative ranks, a meticulous bookkeeper who believed in order and progress. His path to the presidency was classic PRI: loyal service as governor of Veracruz and interior secretary. Once in office in 1952, he projected a sober, almost austere image, a stark contrast to his flamboyant predecessor. His term coincided with the 'Mexican Miracle,' a period of sustained industrial growth, and Ruiz Cortines managed the boom with fiscal caution, famously auditing government payrolls to purge 'ghost workers.' His most enduring act was constitutional: in 1953, he fulfilled a campaign promise and amended the law to grant women full suffrage. He also launched ambitious irrigation and public health campaigns, battling epidemics in the countryside. He left office as he governed—without fanfare—having cemented the PRI's technocratic model and expanded the nation's democratic fabric.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Adolfo was born in 1890, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Adolfo Was Born
The biggest hits of 1890
Adolfo's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1890Born
Wounded Knee massacre marks the end of the Indian Wars
President: Benjamin Harrison
1895Started school
First public film screening by the Lumiere brothers
President: Grover Cleveland
1903Became a teenager
Wright brothers achieve first powered flight
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1906Could drive
San Francisco earthquake devastates the city
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1908Could vote
Ford Model T goes into production
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1911Turned 21
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1920Turned 30
Women gain the right to vote in the US
Home: $3,395President: Woodrow Wilson"Swanee" — Al Jolson
1930Turned 40
Pluto discovered
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,510President: Herbert Hoover"Body and Soul" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front
1940Turned 50
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
1950Turned 60
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1960Turned 70
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1970Turned 80
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Died at 83
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
Key Achievements
- Successfully championed the constitutional amendment that granted Mexican women the right to vote in federal elections in 1953.
- Presided over a period of significant economic expansion known as the 'Mexican Miracle,' emphasizing fiscal austerity and infrastructure development.
- Initiated major public health campaigns, including a nationwide vaccination drive against smallpox and malaria.
- Ordered a sweeping audit of the federal payroll that eliminated thousands of non-existent government positions.
Did You Know?
He worked as a bookkeeper for a brewing company before entering politics full-time.
He was the first Mexican president to publicly acknowledge his own fallibility, stating 'I can make mistakes' in a speech.
His presidential campaign slogan was simply 'Austerity and Work.'
He voluntarily took a salary cut while in office.
“I can make mistakes, but I will never make the mistake of being disloyal to Mexico.”
