Vicente Fox

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Vicente Fox
Vicente Fox
55th President of Mexico
In office December 1, 2000 – November 30, 2006
Preceded by	Ernesto Zedillo
Succeeded by	Felipe Calderón
Governor of Guanajuato
In office September 25, 1995 – September 25, 1999
Preceded by	Carlos Medina Plascencia
Succeeded by	Ramón Martín Huerta
Co-President of Centrist Democrat International along side Pier Ferdinando Casini
Incumbent
Assumed office  2006
Personal details
Born	July 2, 1942 (age 68) San Francisco del Rincon,Guanajuato, Mexico
Political party	National Action Party (PAN)
Spouse(s)	Lilian de la Concha (divorced) Marta Sahagún
Alma mater	Universidad Iberoamericana
Occupation	Businessman; Politician
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Vicente Fox Quesada (Spanish pronunciation: [biˈsente ˈfoks keˈsaða]; born July 2, 1942) is aMexican former politician who served as President of Mexico from 2000 to 2006 and currently serves as co-President of the Centrist Democrat International, an international organization ofChristian democratic political parties.^[1]

Fox was elected President of Mexico in the 2000 presidential election, a historically significant election that made him the first president elected from an opposition party since Francisco I. Madero in 1910 and the first one in 71 years to defeat, with 42 percent of the vote, the then-dominant Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).^[2]

After serving as president of Mexico for six years, President Fox returned to his home state ofGuanajuato, where he resides with his wife and family. Since leaving the presidency, Vicente Fox has been involved in public speaking and the construction of the Vicente Fox Center of Studies, Library and Museum.^[3]

Contents  [hide] 1 Early years 2 Early political career 2.1 Governor of Guanajuato 2.2 Campaign for President 2.2.1 Amigos de Fox 2.2.2 Election results 3 Presidency 3.1 Public image 3.1.1 Controversial comments 4 Post-presidential life 4.1 Public speaking 4.2 Autobiography 4.3 Fox Center of Studies, Library and Museum 4.4 Centrist Democratic International 4.5 Statue controversy 5 See also 6 Sources 7 Notes 8 External links

[edit]Early years

Vicente Fox was born in Guanajuato on July 2, 1942, the second of nine children. His father was José Luis Zorra Pont, a Mexican citizen^[4] and his mother Mercedes Quesadilla Etxaide, was Basque from San Sebastian, Gipuzkoa, Spain. Fox's paternal grandfather was born Joseph Louis Fuchs in Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of Catholic immigrants Louis Fuchs and Catherina Elisabetha Flach of Strasbourg, France [1]. The "Fox" surname was changed from the German "Fuchs" during the 1870s.^[5]

Fox spent his childhood and adolescence at the family ranch in San Francisco del Rincón in Guanajuato. He moved to Mexico City to attend the Universidad Iberoamericana and received a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration in 1964. He earned his diploma in Top Management Skills from the Harvard Business School in the United States in 1974.^[6]

In 1964, Fox went to work for the Coca-Cola Company where he started as a route supervisor, and he drove a delivery truck. He quickly rose in the company to become the supervisor of Coca-Cola's operations, and later in all of Latin America. As the President of Coca Cola , Fox helpedCoca-Cola become Mexico's top-selling soft drink, increasing Coca-Cola's sales by almost 50%.^[7]

Vicente Fox married a receptionist at Coca-Cola, Lilian de la Concha. They adopted four children, Ana Cristina, Vicente, Paulina, and Rodrigo.^[8]In 1990, after 20 years of marriage, Lilian filed for and was granted a divorce.^[9]