Lucas Alamán
Lucas Ignacio Alamán y Escalada (Guanajuato, New Spain, 18 October 1792 – Mexico City, Mexico, 2 June 1853) was a Mexican scientist, conservative statesman, historian, and writer. He came from an elite Guanajuato family and was well-traveled and highly educated. He was an eyewitness to the early fighting in the Mexican War of Independence when he witnessed the troops of insurgent leader Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla sack Guanajuato City, an incident that informed his already conservative and antidemocratic thought.
Lucas Alamán | |
|---|---|
1860s copy by Alamán's son Pascual of a portrait depicting him in his younger years, currently in the Museo Nacional de Historia. | |
| Minister of Interior and Exterior Relations of Mexico | |
| In office 20 April – 2 June 1853 | |
| President | Antonio López de Santa Anna |
| Preceded by | José Miguel Arroyo |
| Succeeded by | José Miguel Arroyo |
| In office 12 January 1830 – 20 May 1832 | |
| President | Anastasio Bustamante |
| Preceded by | Manuel Ortiz de la Torre |
| Succeeded by | José María Ortiz Monasterio |
| In office 12 January 1825 – 26 September 1825 | |
| President | Guadalupe Victoria |
| Preceded by | Juan Guzmán |
| Succeeded by | Manuel Gómez Pedraza |
| In office 15 May – 21 September 1824 | |
| Preceded by | Pablo de La Llave |
| Succeeded by | Juan Guzmán |
| In office 16 April 1823 – 23 April 1824 | |
| Preceded by | José Ignacio García Illueca |
| Succeeded by | Pablo de La Llave |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 18 October 1792 Guanajuato, New Spain |
| Died | 2 June 1853 (aged 60) Mexico City, Mexico |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Alma mater | Royal College of Mines |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur, historian, politician, scientist, writer |
| Signature | |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Botany |
| Author abbrev. (botany) | Alamán |
He has been called the "arch-reactionary of the epoch...who sought to create a strong central government based on a close alliance of the army, the Catholic Church and the landed classes." He has been considered the founder of the Conservative Party. He has been compared to Metternich, and was one of the prime voices advocating for the establishment of a monarchy in Mexico.
According to historian Charles A. Hale, Alamán was "undoubtedly the major political and intellectual figure of independent Mexico until his death in 1853 ... the guiding force of several administrations and an active promoter of economic development."