Adolfo Ruiz Cortines (1890-1973) was president of Mexico from 1952 to 1958. Not a flamboyant politician, he did lead Mexico on a steady course, the hallmarks of which were moderation and integrity. He believed in a "balanced revolution" in which private enterprise and the state would cooperate in the modernization process.

Adolfo Ruiz Cortines was born to a relatively poor family in the Gulf state of Veracruz on December 30, 1890. His father, a low ranking customs official in the port city, died when he was only a few months old. Although he did complete his primary education in his home state, he dropped out of school at the age of 16 to help support his family. Working for a short time as a bookkeeper's assistant and later in a textile mill, he did not abandon the idea of returning to school, but the outbreak of the Mexican Revolution in November of 1910 disrupted...