ALEMN, MIGUEL

born Sept. 29, 1902, Sayula, Mex. died May 14, 1983, Mexico City Miguel Alemn, c. 1951 president of Mexico from 1946 to 1952. The son of a village shopkeeper who subsequently became a general in the revolution, Alemn studied law and set up practice in Mexico City, specializing in labour cases. Appointed senator from Veracruz, he became governor of the state in 1936. In 1940 he resigned to manage the successful presidential campaign of Manuel vila Camacho, who rewarded him with the powerful post of minister of gobernacin (interior). Alemn became the official candidate for the presidency on the ticket of the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (Revolutionary Institutional Party) in 1946 and easily defeated Ezequiel Padilla. His administration saw a slowdown in Mexico's agrarian reform but greatly accelerated industrial development. Although his regime was charged with extensive graft and corruption, economic progress was marked during his tenure. From the early 1960s he served as president of a national tourist council, a position he held until his death.