Roberto de la Madrid Romandia (February 3, 1922 – March 19, 2010) was a Mexican elected official who served as governor of

Baja California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...

from 1977 to 1983. He was the first American-born governor of a

Mexican state A Mexican State (), officially the Free and Sovereign State (), is a constituent federative entity of Mexico according to the Constitution of Mexico. Currently there are 31 states, each with its own constitution, government, state governor, a ...

. He was a member of the

Institutional Revolutionary Party The Institutional Revolutionary Party (, , PRI) is a List of political parties in Mexico, political party in Mexico that was founded in 1929 as the National Revolutionary Party (, PNR), then as the Party of the Mexican Revolution (, PRM) and fin ...

(PRI).

Early life and education

De la Madrid was born February 3, 1922, in

Calexico, California Calexico () is a city in southern Imperial County, California. Situated on the Mexico–United States border, Mexican border, it is linked economically with the much larger city of Mexicali, the capital of the Mexican state of Baja California ...

, to Mexican parents.Roberto de la Madrid: U.S.-born Baja governor praised for nurturing binational relations
San Diego Union-Tribune, April 12, 2010 He grew up on both sides of the border, attending schools in

Tijuana Tijuana is the most populous city of the Mexican state of Baja California, located on the northwestern Pacific Coast of Mexico. Tijuana is the municipal seat of the Tijuana Municipality, the hub of the Tijuana metropolitan area and the most popu ...

and

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, including Sweetwater High School in National City. His American birth made him an American citizen, but he later became certified as a Mexican citizen. He was bilingual and bicultural, and maintained friendships and business activities on both sides of the border.

Non-political career

He was a distributor for Richfield and

Pemex Pemex (a portmanteau of Petróleos Mexicanos, which translates to ''Mexican Petroleum'' in English; ) is the Mexico, Mexican State ownership, state-owned Petroleum industry, petroleum corporation managed and operated by the government of Mexico, ...

and was active in Mexican political campaigns. He also appeared in the 1959

Dennis Hopper Dennis Lee Hopper (May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010) was an American actor, filmmaker, photographer and visual artist. He was considered one of the key figures of New Hollywood. He earned prizes from the Cannes Film Festival and Venice Internatio ...

film '' The Young Land'' and was listed fifth in the credits; the name of his character was Don Roberto de la Madrid.

Political career

In 1973, he was appointed tourism director for the state of Baja California. He later served as one of Baja California's two senators and as director of the national lottery program, appointed by his close friend, President

José López Portillo José Guillermo Abel López Portillo y Pacheco (; 16 June 1920 – 17 February 2004) was a Mexican writer, lawyer, and politician affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) who served as the 58th president of Mexico from 1976 ...

. In 1977, López Portillo chose him to be the PRI candidate for governor of Baja California after the death of the original candidate.The Week in Mexico
San Diego Union-Tribune, April 4, 2010 His inauguration in 1977 attracted celebrities from both sides of the border including López Portillo, then-San Diego Mayor (later California governor)

Pete Wilson Peter Barton Wilson (born August 23, 1933) is an American attorney and politician who served as governor of California from 1991 to 1999. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Wilson previously served as a United S ...

, and de la Madrid's longtime friend

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...

. News reports at the time spoke of his ambition to be president. He said that he was eligible to be president of either the United States or Mexico, but chose to enter Mexican politics because he figured the odds of becoming president were better in Mexico. By a coincidence of history, unrelated

Miguel de la Madrid Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado (; 12 December 1934 – 1 April 2012) was a Mexican politician affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) who served as the 59th president of Mexico from 1982 to 1988. Inheriting a severe economic an ...

became president of Mexico in 1982. As governor Roberto de la Madrid was credited with "helping foster binational relations, attracting foreign investors and establishing a strong tourism program."

Personal life

He was married twice, first to Elena Victoria in 1942, with whom he had two children, until her death in 1988, and secondly to the former Regina Johnson in 1998, who survived him. He died March 19, 2010, in Tijuana, at the age of 88.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:De la Madrid, Roberto Governors of Baja California 1922 births 2010 deaths Institutional Revolutionary Party politicians People from Calexico, California People from Tijuana Politicians from Baja California 20th-century Mexican politicians