Pedro José Domingo de la Calzada Manuel María Lascuráin Paredes (8 May 1856 – 21 July 1952) was a Mexican politician and lawyer who served as the 38th president of Mexico for 45 minutes on 19 February 1913, the shortest presidency in history. The grandson of Mariano Paredes, the 15th president of Mexico, Lascuráin previously served as Mexico's foreign secretary for two terms and was the director of a small law school in Mexico City for 16 years.
Born to a wealthy family in Mexico City, Lascuráin studied law at the Escuela Nacional Preparatoria and became a successful lawyer. He held numerous positions in the city's government. During the Mexican Revolution, he became the secretary of foreign affairs in the government of President Francisco I. Madero. In 1913, a coup known as the Ten Tragic Days ousted Madero and Vice President José María Pino Suárez, and Lascuráin became president. His government lasted for less than an hour, during which he appointed the coup's leader, Victoriano Huerta, to the role of foreign secretary. He promptly resigned, being succeeded by Huerta.
After his brief presidency, Lascuráin retired from politics and continued his legal career. He served as the director of the Escuela Libre de Derecho. He died at the age of 96 in Mexico City, today being most well-known for the brevity of his administration.
Early life
thumb|left|[[Mariano Paredes|Mariano Paredes y Arrillaga, Lascuráin's grandfather and one-time president of Mexico.]]
Pedro José Domingo de la Calzada Manuel María Lascuráin Paredes was born on 8 May 1856 in the Rancho la Romita (now Colonia Roma) in Mexico City. He was the son of Francisco Lascuráin é Icaza and Ángela (Ana) Paredes Cortés. Francisco Lascuráin was a wealthy merchant originally from Veracruz who had moved to Mexico City and married Paredes, whose family was of Basque origin, established in Mexico in the early 19th century. and his maternal grandmother was Josefa "Pepita" Cortés. His paternal grandparents were Pedro Lascuráin and Dolores de Icaza y Jiménez del Arenal.
Lascuráin was raised in a Catholic family, He became the mayor of Mexico City in 1910 To give the coup d'état some appearance of legality, he had Lascuráin assume the presidency, who would then appoint him as his interior secretary, making Huerta next in line to the presidency, and then resign.
The presidency thus passed to Huerta. As a consequence, Lascuráin was president for less than an hour; sources quote figures ranging from 15 to 56 minutes.