Felipe Calderón
A Mexican president who launched a controversial military campaign against drug cartels, defining a violent and pivotal era for the nation.
Born 1962 (age 64)·President of Mexico from 2006 to 2012·Birthday: August 18·Baby Boomers
Biography
Felipe Calderón's presidency was born from one of Mexico's narrowest electoral victories and immediately plunged into a defining conflict. A lawyer and career politician from the National Action Party (PAN), he assumed office in 2006 and within weeks deployed the military to combat the country's powerful drug trafficking organizations. This decision initiated years of intense violence that claimed tens of thousands of lives, reshaping Mexico's security landscape and sparking deep debate about strategy and human cost. His tenure also focused on economic policy, steering Mexico through the global financial crisis with conservative fiscal management. After leaving office, his legacy remains intensely scrutinized, a symbol of both the resolve to confront criminal power and the profound complexities and consequences of that fight.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Felipe was born in 1962, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Felipe Was Born
The biggest hits of 1962
#1 Movie
Lawrence of Arabia
Best Picture
Lawrence of Arabia
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
Felipe's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1962Born
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1967Started school
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1975Became a teenager
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Could drive
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1980Could vote
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Turned 21
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1992Turned 30
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 40
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 50
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 60
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 64 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the 63rd President of Mexico from 2006 to 2012 for the National Action Party (PAN).
- Initiated the Mexican Drug War by deploying military forces against cartels shortly after taking office.
- Previously served as Secretary of Energy under President Vicente Fox from 2003 to 2004.
- Oversaw the passage of a major pension reform law in 2007.
Did You Know?
He earned a Master's in Public Administration from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
He resigned from the National Action Party in 2018 after 30 years of membership.
His father was a founding member of the PAN party.
He is an avid marathon runner.
“I have a duty to apply the law with all its consequences against crime, wherever it may be.”
