Pedro Lascuráin
| Pedro Lascuráin | |
|---|---|
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 34th President of Mexico |
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In office 19 February 1913 - 19 February 1913 (c. 45 minutes) |
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| Preceded by | Francisco I. Madero |
| Succeeded by | Victoriano Huerta |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
8 May 1856 Mexico City |
| Died | 21 July 1952 (aged 96) Mexico City |
| Nationality | Mexican |
| Spouse(s) | María Flores |
Pedro José Domingo de la Calzada Manuel María Lascuráin Paredes (8 May 1856 – 21 July 1952) was a Mexican politician who served as the 34th President of Mexico for less than one hour on February 19, 1913, the shortest presidency in the history of the world. He had earlier served as Mexico's foreign minister for two terms and was the director of a small law school in Mexico City for sixteen years.
Lascuráin received a law degree in 1880 from the Escuela Nacional de Jurisprudencia in Mexico City. He was mayor of Mexico City in 1910 when Madero began his antireelectionist campaign against Díaz. Lascuráin was a supporter of Madero and after Madero was elected president to replace Díaz, Lascuráin served twice as foreign secretary in Madero's cabinet (10 April 1912 to 4 December 1912 and 15 January 1913 to 19 February 1913). In between the two terms, he again became mayor of Mexico City. As foreign minister, he had to deal with the demands of U.S. Ambassador Henry Lane Wilson.
On 19 February 1913, General Victoriano Huerta overthrew President Madero. Lascuráin was one of the people who convinced Madero to resign the presidency while he was being held prisoner in the National Palace, claiming that his life was in danger if he refused.
Under the 1857 Constitution of Mexico, the vice-president, the attorney general, the foreign minister and then the interior minister stood next in line to the presidency. As well as Madero, Huerta had ousted Vice-President José María Pino Suárez and Attorney General Adolfo Valles Baca, so, to give the coup d'état some appearance of legality, he had Lascuráin, as foreign minister, assume the presidency, appoint him as his interior minister – making Huerta next in line to the presidency – and then resign. The presidency thus passed to Huerta. As a consequence, Lascuráin was president for less than an hour; sources quote figures ranging from 15 to 56 minutes. To date, Lascuráin's presidency is the shortest in history, even briefer than that of Venezuelan politician Diosdado Cabello in 2002.
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