José María Lafragua Ibarra was a Mexican liberal lawyer, politician, diplomat, and writer. He was born in

Puebla Puebla, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Puebla, is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its capital is Puebla City. Part of east-centr ...

, 2 April 1813, the son of Lt. Col. José María Lafragua and Mariana de Ibarra and Veytia. He served in as Minister of Interior in the government of liberal President

Ignacio Comonfort Ignacio Gregorio Comonfort de los Ríos (; 12 March 1812 – 13 November 1863), also known as Ignacio Comonfort, was a Mexican politician and soldier who was also president during La Reforma. He played a leading role in the liberal movement und ...

. He was the first director of the

National Library of Mexico The National Library of Mexico () is located in University City of Mexico, Ciudad Universitaria, the main campus of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City. It was first established on November 30, 1867. As a national ...

and key author of the Mexican Civil and Penal Codes.Brian Hamnett, ''Juárez''. New York: Longmans 1994, p. 273.

Early life

His father died when he was 20 days old, leaving his family in a precarious economic situation. He studied in the Colegio de San Luis, and when he was 11, he entered the Colegio Carolino. A year later, in 1825, he received a scholarship to continue his studies. During those years, he was a clerk. The camera's own bishop granted him protection. Through him he met important people, as well as gained access to the Library Palafoxiana. Lafragua was Secretary of the State College (formerly known as Real Colegio Carolino) and librarian in his first year in law at the Bar, where he was one of the founders. In his youth he frequented the circle of followers of liberal Miguel Ramos Arizpe, from whom he received significant political influence and ideology. In 1834 he wrote articles on the political scene in ''The Liberator.'' In 1835 he became the first lawyer from that institution, although he was professor of civil law while still a student.

Politics

When he finished his studies he joined the Federalist Party and the York Rite Masonic Lodge. In 1838 he published the first writers magazine, ''

'' "The Literary essay", and followed with ''El Leonidas'', which had a political slant. In 1839 he moved to Mexico City and wrote for ''The Cosmopolitan'' until 1841 when they decided to restart ''The Pointer'' in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

and ''The Bee Poblana'' in

. In 1842 Lafragua was a Member of the Constituent Congress of Puebla. He proposed and drafted the Civil Code and Civil Procedure and participated in drafting the Penal Code and the bill of individual rights. He was Foreign Minister in the governments of

Benito Juárez Benito Pablo Juárez García (; 21 March 1806 – 18 July 1872) was a Mexican politician, military commander, and lawyer who served as the 26th president of Mexico from 1858 until his death in office in 1872. A Zapotec peoples, Zapotec, he w ...

and

Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada y Corral (; 24 April 1823 – 21 April 1889) was a Mexican liberal politician and jurist who served as the 31st president of Mexico from 1872 to 1876. A successor to Benito Juárez, who died in office in July 1872, ...

. In 1860 he was chargé d'affaires in Spain, returning from Europe in 1861. He was director of the National Library of Mexico appointed by President

in 1867. He died on 15 November 1875.

Legacy

His personal library consisted of more than 4,300 volumes. Highlighting his collection were books and documents on the history of law,

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, ...

, sciences, and

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

. These books were donated to the

and the library of Autonomous University of Puebla.

References

Biblioteca histórica “José María Lafragua”
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lafragua, Jose Maria 1813 births 1875 deaths Members of the Congress of Puebla Secretaries of foreign affairs of Mexico Diplomats for Mexico Liberalism in Mexico