Francisco José Múgica
Francisco Jose Mugica Velázquez ( September 3, 1884 – April 12, 1954). was a military revolutionary, Major General and Mexican politician. Constituent in the Constitutional Congress in 1917 that made the Constitution of Mexico and governor of the state of Tabasco and Michoacán and the then Territory of Baja California Sur and Marias Islands, plus the head of the secretariats of National Economy and Communications and Public Works during the government of Lazaro Cardenas[1]
Beginnings and revolutionary life
Francisco J. Mugica was born in Tingüindín, Michoacán. His father was a school teacher which meant Mugica had to move from one place to another, causing him to complete his primary education in various schools. After completing his preparatory studies, he began working as a journalist, being a liberal contributor to several newspapers, including Regeneración of Enrique Flores Magón and his brothers. In Zamora, Michoacan, he completed his studies in seminary and started a small opposition newspaper against Porfirio Diaz.
Years later he would move to Mexico City, where he would have contact with various figures in conspiracies for the Mexican Revolution; in 1910 he traveled to San Antonio,Texas to begin the organization of the Revolutionary Meetings. He joined forces Pascual Orozco, taking what would become Ciudad Juarez in 1911; then with Lucio Blanco, they started to do the first land distribution in Matamoros, Tamaulipas in 1913. He was subsequently charged with various military activities, such as being a general and lieutenant to Carranza and Alvaro Obregon among others. He led the revolutionary forces in Michoacán, where he met Lazaro Cardenas, who would be his ideological pupil.His military career led to disagreements with General Alvaro Obregon, who sent to assassinate him. His friendship with the General Lazaro Cardenas allowed him to know the intentions of Oregon and escape his executioners.At the end of his military career, he was responsible for the Heroic Military Academy (Mexico) ,the Commander in the South and was Governor of Tabasco and President of the Military Court[2]
Constituent
Mugica participated in the Constituent Congress of 1917, for his positions and his debates with other Constituent he was always remembered as one of the best constituent and fundamental ideologists of the Mexican Revolution. Basically, he worked on items in the Constitution that concerning matters of religion, politics, economics and education. His ideology would be embodied in articles 3, 27 and 123 Articles of the Constitution of the United Mexican States.
Michoacan governor
Mugica was made governor when Lazaro Cardenas was appointed Chairman of PNR and Secretary of State.
Secretariat for the nation
The December 1, 1934, take over of the Presidency of the Mexican Republic by Lazaro Cardenas,launched Mugica as Minister of National Economy , he immediately made himself identifiable as one of the most "Cardenistas" cabinet members versus "Callista" holding important portfolios in the same cabinet. Cardenas had begun to deestablish the maximato by which Plutarco Elias Calles had exercised command over every president since he left office in 1928. Being a great ally of Cardenas, Mugica helped in removing the Maxiato by creating a mid-June crisis in 1935 by releasing anti-labor statements made by Calles, the unions began strong protests against the figure of Jefe Máximo (Calles ), which were immediately exploited to get rid of his influence on the government to seek and obtain the resignation of his entire cabinet and oust all Callistas, including the son of Calles, who was Minister of Communications and Public Works; which Cardenas substituted with the appointment of Mugica.
Presidential candidate
Francisco J. Mugica was the natural successor in the presidency of Cardenas: strong leftist; believer in the great reforms of Cardenas (Agrarian Reform, Socialist Education, Unit Obrera, nationalization of industry); mastermind, or at least the inspiration of many of these reforms. His choice as successor, in short, arguably would be the continuation of the Cardenas policies. However, Múgica was much more radical than Cárdenas; his supporters saw him as the great consolidator of the Cardenas social work, while his opponents saw him as a great danger that would make Mexico a copy of the Soviet Union.
By 1939, the popularity of Cardenas had fallen seriously; two characters in the right were on the rise that would challenge the Cardenas legacy: Joaquin Amaro and Juan Andrew Almazan; Cardenas then realized that the candidacy of Múgica may not be well received by the country or abroad; a center candidate, that was much less radical, that would unify the divided population and, above all, take away the rising popularity of Almazan, was needed. For Cardenas this represented the candidacy of Manuel Avila Camacho, the Secretary of Defense; Mugica had no choice but to withdraw his candidacy and join the Avila Camacho, with whom he had never had a close relationship.
Governor of Baja California Sur
After the elections, serious conflicts and an electoral fraud pulled off the victory for Avila Camacho over Almazán made Múgica an uncomfortable character for the new government. He had not only been a great competitor of the new president, but also represented the "old" ideas and reforms that wanted to done away with by the new president. However,his career and power, Muijca could not be left out of the government. The solution was to appoint him, Governor of the Territory of Baja California Sur, one of the most remote, sparsely populated and underdeveloped areas of the country.
His last years
Years prior to his death, Múgica was involved in various private activities and running various prisons, including the Islas Marias. He died in Mexico City at 69 years of age, April 12, 1954.