Enrique Clay Creel Cuilty, sometimes known as Henry Clay Creel (30 August 1854 – 18 August 1931) 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 ...

businessman, politician and diplomat, member of the powerful

Creel-Terrazas family The Creel-Terrazas Family is a powerful and wealthy Mexican political family based in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. History During the rule of President Porfirio Díaz and the Mexican Revolution, this family was part of the ''cie ...

Chihuahua Chihuahua may refer to: Places * Chihuahua (state), a Mexican state **Chihuahua (dog), a breed of dog named after the state **Chihuahua cheese, a type of cheese originating in the state **Chihuahua City, the capital city of the state **Chihuahua Mu ...

. He was a member of the

Científico The ''Científicos'' ( Spanish: "scientists" or "those scientifically oriented") were a circle of technocratic advisors to President of Mexico Porfirio Díaz. Steeped in the positivist "scientific politics", they functioned as part of his prog ...

s, as well as founder and president of the Banco Central Mexicano, vice-president of

Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway The Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway, started in 1900 by American railroad entrepreneur Arthur Edward Stilwell, was the predecessor of the Chihuahua al Pacífico railroad in Mexico. It was intended to reach the Pacific Ocean at Topolobam ...

, as well as

governor of Chihuahua According to the Political Constitution of the Free and Sovereign State of Chihuahua, Executive Power in that Mexican state resides with a single individual, the Constitutional Governor of the Free and Sovereign State of Chihuahua, who is chosen ...

on two occasions,

ambassador of Mexico to the United States The Ambassador of Mexico to the United States is the highest ranking diplomatic representative of the United Mexican States to the United States of America. Brief history Mexico and the United States have maintained diplomatic relations since 1 ...

, and

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...

of President

Porfirio Díaz José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori ( or ; ; 15 September 1830 – 2 July 1915), known as Porfirio Díaz, was a Mexican general and politician who served seven terms as President of Mexico, a total of 31 years, from 28 November 1876 to 6 Decem ...

in the last years of his regime. The foremost banker during the Porfirato (1876-1910) he is considered a symbol of the Porfirian regime.

Biography

Creel was the son of Reuben Creel, a veteran of the

Mexican American War 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 ...

from

Greensburg, Kentucky Greensburg is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Green County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,163 at the 2010 census, down from 2,396 at the 2000 census. The Downtown Greensburg Historic District is on the Nationa ...

, and

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...

's US Consul in

. He was born in Ciudad Chihuahua and became son-in-law of Don Luis Terrazas by virtue of marriage to his daughter Angela (Reuben Creel and Luis Terrazas were married to sisters of the wealthy Cuilty family, whose ancestry was English and was related to Sir

Thomas More Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry VIII as Lord ...

). After Porfirio Díaz became president of Mexico in 1876, he appointed Creel as a director of the National Board of Dynamite and Explosives. Mexico's demand for explosives was high because of its mining and railroad industries and the army's need for munitions. The board imposed an 80% import duty on dynamite, allowing its members to manufacture explosives without competition and reportedly enabling Creel to amass an even larger fortune in kickbacks. In 1898, he founded the Banco Central Mexicano (of which he became president) alongside other members of the

Enrique Creel served as Mexico's Minister of Foreign Relations and as its Ambassador to the United States. The bilingual Creel served as interpreter when Presidents

and

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

met in 1909 on the international bridge between

Ciudad Juárez Ciudad Juárez ( ; ''Juarez City''. ) is the most populous city in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It is commonly referred to as Juárez and was known as El Paso del Norte (''The Pass of the North'') until 1888. Juárez is the seat of the Ju� ...

and El Paso. He became vice-president of the

, where he was responsible for the construction of part of the railroad west of Chihuahua, now the Chihuahua Pacific Railroad (

Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico The Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico (Chihuahua-Pacific Railway), also known as El Chepe from its reporting mark CHP, is a major rail line in northwest Mexico, linking Chihuahua City, to Los Mochis and its port, Topolobampo. It crosses the Si ...

) which runs through the town of

Creel, Chihuahua Creel () is a town in the Sierra Tarahumara (part of the Sierra Madre Occidental) of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It is the second-largest town (after San Juanito) in the municipality of Bocoyna. It is located some to the southwest of the ...

. He was a key intermediary between the Mexican government and foreign companies, serving on their boards, as well as helping arrange "government subsidies and tax abatements and financial support for foreign firms." His haciendas once totaled more than 1.7 million acres (6,900 km²). Creel was one of Díaz's advisers who had urged the president to be interviewed by

James Creelman James Creelman (November 12, 1859 – February 12, 1915) was a Canadian-American writer famous for securing a 1908 interview for ''Pearson's Magazine'' with Mexican president Porfirio Díaz, in which the strongman said that he would not run ...

of ''Pearson's Magazine'', in which Díaz declared he would not be a candidate for president in 1910.Wasserman, "Enrique Clay Creel", p. 370. The

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution ( es, Revolución Mexicana) was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from approximately 1910 to 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It resulted in the destruction ...

forced him to abandon Mexico for the United States and he had major financial losses due to the Revolution, with revolutionaries expropriating his landed estates.Wasserman, "Enrique Clay Creel", p. 370 He returned after the end of the revolution, and served for a period in the administration of northern revolutionary general Alvaro Obregón (1920–24). He died in Mexico City on August 18, 1931 .

Publications

* ( en, The Banks of Mexico) * (''Imports and Exports'') * (''Agriculture and Agrarianism'')

Biography

Publications

See also

References

Further reading