Felipe Calderón Biography

Felipe Calderón Hinojosa was the president of Mexico from 2006 until 2012. He’s the son of the founders of the National Action Party (PAN), and after studying law and economics in Mexico and public administration at Harvard, he went into the family business. During the 1990s he worked in various executive posts in the party, eventually rising to the top spot. His political clout and some legislative experience led to positions in the early 2000s in banking and energy in the cabinet of President Vicente Fox, and in the tight election of 2006 he emerged victorious over Andres Manuel López Obrador, finally taking office in December of 2006 (the election was held in July and contested throughout the fall). His presidency was marked by a get-tough policy against drug cartels and attempts to strengthen Mexico’s relationship with the United States regarding trade and international migration. He was succeeded by Enrique Peña Nieto in 2012.