Echeverría Álvarez << `eh` cheh vehr REE ah AHL vah rehz >>, Luis (1922-2022), served as president of Mexico from 1970 to 1976. From 1964 to 1969, Echeverría was secretary of government, the most powerful political office except the presidency.
When Echeverría became president, Mexico was suffering from inflation, poverty, and recession. Echeverría helped Mexico’s economy by promoting the development of local industry and by encouraging business companies to move into rural areas. His government improved education, increased social security benefits, and provided inexpensive housing.
Under Echeverría, new laws permitted foreign businesses to invest in Mexico only if their action benefited the Mexican people. Also under Echeverría, Mexico worked through the United Nations to try to further the cause of developing countries.
Echeverría was born in Mexico City on Jan. 17, 1922. He received a law degree from the National University in Mexico City in 1945 and taught there in 1947 and 1948. Echeverría joined the Institutional Revolutionary Party in 1946 and held increasingly important positions in the party leadership.
In 2006, Echeverría was charged with the 1968 murder of hundreds of student protesters who died when soldiers opened fire at a pro-democracy rally in Mexico City. Echeverría, who denied the charges, was put under house arrest. In July 2007, a Mexican federal court ruled that there was no evidence linking Echeverría to the killings. The charges against him were dismissed. Echeverría died on July 8, 2022.
