Miguel de la Madrid, 1934–2012

The president who led Mexico in hard times

Upon leaving office in 1988, after six turbulent years as president of Mexico, Miguel de la Madrid delivered a terse appraisal of his term. “I took a country with great problems,” he said, “and leave it with problems.”

De la Madrid’s presidency was a “grim time for most Mexicans,” said the Associated Press. After a “rapid but unflashy climb” through the ranks of government, De la Madrid was tapped for office in 1982, just months before Mexico defaulted on $80 billion of debt. The new president inherited a 150 percent inflation rate and a plummeting economy. But De la Madrid “pulled Mexico back from economic collapse,” raising taxes, slashing the budget, and imposing price and wage controls.

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