Francisco Javier Echeverría was a Mexican businessman, conservative and centralist politician. He served as president of Mexico in late 1841 for a few weeks.
Early life
Francisco Javier Echeverría was born to a wealthy family in Xalapa, Veracruz. In his youth he was affectionately known as "la naríz" or "the nose". He worked in his family's commercial firm until 1829 when he entered politics. He was elected a deputy in the local congress in 1829. In 1834, he moved to Mexico City, where he headed the family firm of Viuda de Echeverría e Hijos.
Career
National politics
President Antonio López de Santa Anna named him secretary of the treasury. He served in this position from 5 May 1834 to 1 September of the same year, when he resigned over disagreements with the government of Santa Anna. Two years later he was a member of the Council of State under Anastasio Bustamante, in the latter's second term as president. Echeverría was again secretary of the treasury, still under Bustamante. This was after the Pastry War with France, and the treasury was bankrupt. His commercial firm lent 662,000 pesos to the government in copper, receiving payment in silver. He was much attacked for this in the press. He imposed a tax of 3 per 1,000 on rural and urban property and raised the consumption tax 10%. He wanted to amortize the copper coinage through an agreement with the tobacco firms. By these and other measures he greatly improved the situation of the treasury.
President of Mexico
On 21 September 1841, Congress named him interim president of Mexico, while Bustamante was in the field leading troops against his enemies. Echeverría held the office of president until 10 October. He left office when the Liberals returned to power.
Later life
He retired from politics for a time, but made his return in 1850 as a congressional deputy and was later president of the committee on prisons and also of the Academy of San Carlos. The Academy prospered under his leadership, acquiring its own building, attracting European teachers, and gaining a reputation as the bestfine arts academy in America. He was founder and first director of a reformatory for young men.
