- Venustiano Carranza
Infobox_President | name=Venustiano Carranza
nationality=Mexican
office = President of Mexico
term_start=March 11 ,1917
term_end=May 21 ,1920
predecessor=Victoriano Huerta
successor=Adolfo de la Huerta
birth_date=birth date|1859|12|21|mf=y
birth_place=Cuatro Ciénegas ,Coahuila
dead=dead
death_date=death date and age|1920|5|21|1859|12|21|mf=y
death_place=Tlaxcalantongo,Puebla
spouse=Virginia Salinas
party=Partido Demócrata Mexicano & Partido Liberal ConstitucionalistaVenustiano Carranza Garza (
December 29 1859 –May 21 1920 ) was one of the leaders of theMexican Revolution . He ultimately becamePresident of Mexico following the overthrow of the dictatorial Huerta regime in the summer of 1914 and during his administration the current constitution ofMexico was drafted. He ultimately became the last President of the Revolution/Civil war era.Biography
Carranza was born in the town of
Cuatro Ciénegas , in the state ofCoahuila , to a middle-classcattle -ranching family. His father,Jesús Carranza , had been acolonel in the army ofBenito Juárez and a staunch supporter of Juárez's liberal party.He studied at the
Ateneo Fuente inSaltillo . In 1874 he went to theEscuela Nacional Preparatoria inMexico City .Venustiano Carranza was an early supporter of
Francisco I. Madero 's efforts to overthrow thePorfirio Díaz dictatorship, and when Madero formed his revolutionary cabinet he appointed Carranza Secretary of War and of the Navy. AfterVictoriano Huerta 's overthrow of the Madero regime, Carranza under the "Plan de Guadalupe" became the leader in the opposition revolt against Huerta. Carranza's forces were known as the Constitutionalist Army, as he advocated reinstatement of the liberal Constitution of 1857.Also under the "Plan de Guadalupe" Carranza took charge of the executive branch on
May 1 1915 . He introduced an independentjudiciary , greater decentralization of power, andland reform under the "ejido " system. Carranza was a man of great intelligence with wide knowledge of Mexican conditions and history. He was strongly built, wore round glasses and a large grey beard, giving him the appearance of a benevolent father figure.In September 1916 Carranza saw the need for a new Constitution and called for a Constitutional convention. On
March 11 1917 Venustiano Carranza was elected the first president under the new Mexican Constitution of 1917.Fighting continued with factions who would not accept Carranza's rule, ranging from reactionary landowners and conservative
Catholic s to the forces ofEmiliano Zapata andFrancisco Villa for whom Carranza's reforms were too modest. Carranza ordered a bounty put on Zapata's head, leading to Zapata's assassination.As his presidential term drew to a close, he supported a civilianIgnacio Bonillas as a candidate against GeneralÁlvaro Obregón for the following presidential elections.This earned him the resentment of the military and of some fellow revolutionaries, including Obregón,Plutarco Elías Calles , andAdolfo de la Huerta , who rebelled against Carranza's government. OnApril 8 1920 , a campaign aide to Obregon attempted to assassinate Carranza. After the failed attempt, Carranza was forced to fleeMexico City .He set out towards Veracruz but was betrayed and assassinated in
Tlaxcalantongo in theSierra Norte of Puebla by the forces of GeneralRodolfo Herrero , supporter of Carranza's former allies, onMay 21 ,1920 .According to General Francisco L. Urquizo, Carranza's last words were: "Licenciado, ya me rompieron una pierna" which translates as "Lawyer, they have already broken one of my legs". (Carranza was referring to his partner, Licenciado Aguirre Berlanga, when he was ambushed and shot). [
Gen. Francisco L. Urquizo , "De la vida militar mexicana" (SEDENA, 1991) p. 228]References
Bibliography
*
Enrique Krauze , "Mexico: Biography of Power" (Harper Collins, 1997) pp. 334-373.External links
* [http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/history/vcarranzo1.html Venustiano Carranza on Mexconnect.com]
* [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9020484/Venustiano-Carranza Encyclopaedia Britannica, Venustiano Carranza]Persondata
NAME= Carranza, Venustiano
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Carranza Garza, Venustiano (Spanish)
SHORT DESCRIPTION=President of Mexico (1914 - 1920)
DATE OF BIRTH= 1859-12-21
PLACE OF BIRTH=Cuatro Ciénegas ,Coahuila ,Mexico
DATE OF DEATH= 1920-05-21
PLACE OF DEATH=Tlaxcalantongo ,Puebla ,Mexico
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