López Portillo, José, << LOH pehz pawr TEE yoh, hoh SAY >> (1920-2004), served as president of Mexico from 1976 to 1982. López Portillo, a member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, ran unopposed in the 1976 presidential election. As president, he supported economic programs to encourage investment in private business in Mexico in order to increase economic growth and employment. Increased oil production at the start of his term helped improve Mexico’s economy. But mismanagement of oil revenues, excessive borrowing, and corruption in government led to severe economic problems.
López Portillo was born on June 16, 1920, in Mexico City. He received a law degree from the National Autonomous University of Mexico in 1946. He taught college courses in law, political science, and public administration from 1947 to 1958. In 1959, he became an adviser in the government’s Ministry of National Patrimony.
During the 1960’s, López Portillo held increasingly important positions in the Mexican government. In 1970, he was named undersecretary of national patrimony. In 1973, López Portillo became secretary of finance and public credit. He died in Mexico City on Feb. 17, 2004.
