Diego Fernández de Cevallos
Encyclopedia
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
politician affiliated to the conservative National Action Party
National Action Party (Mexico)
The National Action Party , is one of the three main political parties in Mexico. The party's political platform is generally considered Centre-Right in the Mexican political spectrum. Since 2000, the President of Mexico has been a member of this party; both houses have PAN pluralities, but the...
(PAN). He was a presidential
President of Mexico
The President of the United Mexican States is the head of state and government of Mexico. Under the Constitution, the president is also the Supreme Commander of the Mexican armed forces...
candidate in the 1994 election
Mexican general election, 1994
General elections were held in Mexico on 21 August 1994. The presidential elections resulted in a victory for Ernesto Zedillo of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, whilst the PRI won 300 of the 500 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 95 of the 128 seats in the Senate...
and President of the Mexican Senate
Senate of Mexico
The Senate of the Republic, constitutionally Chamber of Senators of the Honorable Congress of the Union After a series of reforms during the 1990s, it is now made up of 128 senators:...
.
Life and career
Fernández de Cevallos was born in Mexico CityMexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, the son of José Fernández de Cevallos Martínez and Beatriz Ramos Íñigo. He received a bachelor's degree in law from the National Autonomous University of Mexico
National Autonomous University of Mexico
The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México is a university in Mexico. UNAM was founded on 22 September 1910 by Justo Sierra as a liberal alternative to the Roman Catholic-sponsored Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) (National Autonomous...
(UNAM) and took several courses in economics at the Ibero-American University, where he also worked as a professor of criminal and commercial law.
He joined the conservative National Action Party
National Action Party (Mexico)
The National Action Party , is one of the three main political parties in Mexico. The party's political platform is generally considered Centre-Right in the Mexican political spectrum. Since 2000, the President of Mexico has been a member of this party; both houses have PAN pluralities, but the...
(PAN) in 1959 and led its parliamentary group in the Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Mexico
The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the Congress of the Union, Mexico's bicameral legislature. The structure and responsibilities of both chambers of Congress are defined in Articles 50 to 70 of the current constitution.-Composition:The Chamber of Deputies is composed of one federal...
(during the 55th legislature) and in the Senate
Senate of Mexico
The Senate of the Republic, constitutionally Chamber of Senators of the Honorable Congress of the Union After a series of reforms during the 1990s, it is now made up of 128 senators:...
(2003–06). In 1994 he ran for president representing his party and lost against the PRI
Institutional Revolutionary Party
The Institutional Revolutionary Party is a Mexican political party that held power in the country—under a succession of names—for more than 70 years. The PRI is a member of the Socialist International, as is the rival Party of the Democratic Revolution , making Mexico one of the few...
candidate, Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León.
Outside politics, Fernández de Cevallos runs an influential law firm specialized in criminal, civil and commercial law. He was married only by the religious rite to Claudia Gutiérrez Navarrete. Actually he lives with his couple Liliana de León Maldonado.
Abduction
Fernández de Cevallos was abducted from one of his properties, located in Pedro EscobedoPedro Escobedo
Pedro Escobedo is the seat of Pedro Escobedo Municipality of the State of Querétaro, part of the industrial corridor.Actualmente la actividad principal es la elaboracion de artesanias en cantera debido al que esa materia prima es abundante en la regiony se le reconoce particularmente por su feria...
, Querétaro
Querétaro
Querétaro officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Querétaro de Arteaga is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities and its capital city is Santiago de Querétaro....
, on 14 May 2010. His abandoned vehicle was found nearby, with signs of a violent struggle. Fernandez de Cevallos' kidnappers demanded $100 million in exchange for his release but decreased the amount. He was released from this abduction on December 20, 2010 in exchange for $30 million.