Jose Maria Iglesias (5 January 1823 – 17 December 1891) was President of Mexico from 26 October to 28 November 1876, succeeding Sebastian Lerdo de Tejada and preceding Porfirio Diaz. He was a leader of the Liberal Party of Mexico.
Biography[]
Jose Maria Iglesias was born in Mexico City, Mexico in 1823 to a wealthy family, and he became a lawyer in 1844, worked for a liberal newspaper, and served on the city council in 1846. In 1852, he was elected to Congress, and he served in various ministerial positions under President Ignacio Comonfort. In 1857, he became a Supreme Court judge, and he served as Justice Secretary of Benito Juarez's republican government during the French Intervention. From 1868 to 1869, he was Interior Minister, and he then returned to the Ministry of Justice. In 1873, he became President of the Supreme Court on Sebastian Lerdo de Tejada's ascension to the presidency, and, in 1876, he constitutionally challenged Lerdo's re-election, leading to himself becoming President. Porfirio Diaz took advantage of the Liberal infighting to seize power in a coup in November 1876, and Iglesias went into exile in New York City until 1878, when he returned to Mexico. He died in 1891.