Clouthier del Rincón, Manuel J. (1934–1989)

A leading Mexican opposition politician and 1988 presidential candidate, Clouthier was a native of Culiacán, Sinaloa. Born on June 13, 1934, he attended high school in the United States at the Brown Military Academy in San Diego and graduated in 1957 from the Institute of Technology and Higher Education in Monterrey, Mexico, with a degree in agricultural engineering. Clouthier was a successful local businessman; he became active in a variety of regional business interest groups, including the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association and the Businessman's Coordinating Council. He presided over the national Businessman's Coordinating Council, one of Mexico's most influential private-sector organizations from 1981 to 1983. Known for his hard-line defense of powerful agricultural interests, Clouthier became politically involved in the National Action Party (PAN), joining the party only in 1985. After losing as a PAN candidate for Congress and governor, he ran against Carlos Salinas in the 1988 presidential election, running an aggressive and charismatic campaign and endearing himself to many voters. He lost the election but helped many congressional candidates from his party to win, including Vicente Fox, his political disciple and future president of Mexico. Clouthier was killed in an auto accident in Sinaloa on October 1, 1989, under suspicious circumstances.

See alsoMexico, Political Parties: National Action Party (PAN) .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bañuelos Rentería, Javier. Maquío: La fuerza de un ideal, biografía política. Mexico: PAN, 2002.

Nanti Fernández, Enrique. El Maquío Clouthier: La biografía, 1934–1989. Mexico City: Planeta, 1998.

                                        Roderic Ai Camp