Alfredo del Mazo Vélez (21 August 1904 – 19 December 1975) was a

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

politician affiliated with the

Institutional Revolutionary Party The Institutional Revolutionary Party ( es, Partido Revolucionario Institucional, ; abbr. PRI) is a political party in Mexico that was founded in 1929 and held uninterrupted power in the country for 71 years, from 1929 to 2000, first as the Nati ...

. He was the

Governor of the State of Mexico The governor of the State of Mexico (Spanish: Gobernador Constitucional del Estado de México) wields executive power in the State of Mexico (a.k.a. Edomex). The Governor of the State of Mexico is directly elected by the citizens, using secret b ...

from 1945 to 1951 and served as the Secretary of Hydraulic Resources during the six-year presidency of

Adolfo López Mateos Adolfo López Mateos (; 26 May 1909 – 22 September 1969) was a Mexican politician who served as President of Mexico from 1958 to 1964. Beginning his political career as a campaign aide of José Vasconcelos during his run for president, Lóp ...

Life

del Mazo, whose father and grandfather had both been mayors of his hometown of

Atlacomulco Atlacomulco is one of 125 municipalities in the State of Mexico located in the northwest of the State of Mexico in central Mexico, from the state capital of Toluca. The municipal seat is the city of Atlacomulco de Fabela. The name is derived fro ...

, was born to Manuel del Mazo Villasante and Mercedes Vélez in 1904. His public service career began when he worked on the construction of the Don Martín Dam in

Coahuila Coahuila (), formally Coahuila de Zaragoza (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza), is one of the 32 states of Mexico. Coahuila borders the Mexican states of N ...

; he also occupied warehouse management positions in the National Road Commission and the National Irrigation Commission, of which he would be the head of the Administrative Department by 1940. del Mazo became a close disciple of Governor

Isidro Fabela José Isidro Fabela Alfaro (28 June 1882 – 12 August 1964) was a Mexican judge, politician, professor, writer, publisher, governor of the State of Mexico, diplomat, and delegate to the now defunct League of Nations. Fabela was born in Atla ...

, who named him state treasurer in 1942 and secretary general of the government the next year. He was tapped to succeed Fabela as governor of the State of Mexico in 1945.Roderic Ai Camp, ''The Metamorphosis of Leadership in a Democratic Mexico'' (Oxford University Press, 2010), p. 28. During his government, new industrial concessions were issued, roads, schools and irrigation projects were carried out, and a pension law was issued, forming the foundation for the modern social security system of the State of Mexico. After his term as governor, he was a

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and was the president of the Senate during October 1954. He served in the federal cabinet for the entire presidency of

after being selected to head his presidential campaign. One of his four sons,

Alfredo del Mazo González Alfredo Hilario Isidro del Mazo González (31 December 1943 – 10 January 2019) was a Mexican politician affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party. Early life He was the Governor of the State of Mexico from 1981 to 1986 and the ...

, went on to govern the State of Mexico from 1981 to 1986. del Mazo died in Mexico City on December 19, 1975. He was initially buried in Mexico City, but his remains were later relocated to the Rotunda of Illustrious Men of the State of Mexico in

Toluca Toluca , officially Toluca de Lerdo , is the States of Mexico, state capital of the State of Mexico as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. With a population of 910,608 as of the 2020 census, Toluca is the fifth most populous city in M ...

References

1904 births 1975 deaths Governors of the State of Mexico Institutional Revolutionary Party politicians {{Mexico-politician-InstitutionalRevolutionary-stub