Jorge Cruickshank García
Encyclopedia
Jorge Cruickshank García (b. July 29, 1915, d. January 1989) was a Mexican
politician. He was the general secretary of the Popular Socialist Party
and a five-time parliamentarian.
. He attended primary and secondary education in Veracruz
. He continued studies in the city, and obtained engineering and secondary teaching degrees. He became active in the communist youth movement, and between 1939-1940 the was a national leader of the Communist Youth. He was also a trade union
organizer. He took part in the founding of Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación
(SNTE), and became the general secretary of SNTE local 10 in 1943. He later held various positions in the SNTE national organization.
of the party (a position he would hold until 1982). He was the PPS Secretary for International Relations during 1962-1963. 1963-1965 he served as Secretary of Press and Publicity of the party 1963-1965 and Secretary of Organization 1965-1968. In 1968 he was the PPS candidate for governor of Oaxaca.
Cruickshank García served as PPS general secretary 1969-1979, 1979-1981.
In 1976 he was elected to the Senate from Oaxaca. He became the first opposition senator in the country since the consolidation of the rule of the Institutional Revolutionary Party
(PRI). He had been elected unopposed. It was speculated at the time that PRI had supported Cruickshank García's candidature in return for the acceptance of the PPS to concede defeat in the 1975 Nayarit gubernatorial election (it was believed that PPS had won the governor's post in Nayarit, but lost it due to fraud). It would last until 1988 before more opposition politician wouls be elected to the senate.
Cruickshank's senatorial tenure lasted until 1982. In that year he was re-elected to the lower house of parliament. He became the coordinator of the parliamentary faction of PPS. He was re-elected in 1988.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
politician. He was the general secretary of the Popular Socialist Party
Popular Socialist Party (Mexico)
The Popular Socialist Party is a communist party in Mexico. It was founded in 1948 as the Popular Party by Vicente Lombardo Toledano....
and a five-time parliamentarian.
Early life and activism
Jorge Cruickshank was born in Tehuantepec in the state of OaxacaOaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
. He attended primary and secondary education in Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
. He continued studies in the city, and obtained engineering and secondary teaching degrees. He became active in the communist youth movement, and between 1939-1940 the was a national leader of the Communist Youth. He was also a trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
organizer. He took part in the founding of Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación
Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación
The Mexican National Educational Workers Union is the largest trade union in Latin America, with over 1.4 million members. Formed in 1949, the SNTE is composed of local sections in each of Mexico's states...
(SNTE), and became the general secretary of SNTE local 10 in 1943. He later held various positions in the SNTE national organization.
In the PPS
In 1948 he took part in founding the Popular Party (which later became the Popular Socialist Party, PPS). He was a Popular Party candidate for parliament in the 1949 election. In 1958 he again stood for parliament. In 1960 he was included in the Central CommitteeCentral Committee
Central Committee was the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, whether ruling or non-ruling in the twentieth century and of the surviving, mostly Trotskyist, states in the early twenty first. In such party organizations the...
of the party (a position he would hold until 1982). He was the PPS Secretary for International Relations during 1962-1963. 1963-1965 he served as Secretary of Press and Publicity of the party 1963-1965 and Secretary of Organization 1965-1968. In 1968 he was the PPS candidate for governor of Oaxaca.
General secretary
Cruickshank was elected general secretary of PPS at the fourth national assembly of the party in January 1969. His candidature was opposed by a group of former POCM leaders, who were expelled at the meeting.Cruickshank García served as PPS general secretary 1969-1979, 1979-1981.
Parliamentarian
In 1964 he was elected to the federal parliament (as a PPS candidate from electoral district 1, Oaxaca). His tenure lasted until 1967. In the parliament, he formed part in committees on culture, railroads and communications. In 1970 he was re-elected to parliament for the 1970-1973 tenure.In 1976 he was elected to the Senate from Oaxaca. He became the first opposition senator in the country since the consolidation of the rule of the Institutional Revolutionary Party
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...
(PRI). He had been elected unopposed. It was speculated at the time that PRI had supported Cruickshank García's candidature in return for the acceptance of the PPS to concede defeat in the 1975 Nayarit gubernatorial election (it was believed that PPS had won the governor's post in Nayarit, but lost it due to fraud). It would last until 1988 before more opposition politician wouls be elected to the senate.
Cruickshank's senatorial tenure lasted until 1982. In that year he was re-elected to the lower house of parliament. He became the coordinator of the parliamentary faction of PPS. He was re-elected in 1988.