José Manuel Puig Casauranc

José Manuel Puig Casauranc was a physician, politician, and writer whose career moved between public education and diplomacy. Born in Ciudad del Carmen in 1888, he practiced medicine in Mexico and the United States before entering Congress. Under President Plutarco Elías Calles he served as education secretary from 1924 to 1928; he later held the industry, commerce, and labor portfolio and headed the Federal District administration. ¹

Puig became ambassador in Washington in 1931. He served on the Commission of Neutrals seeking a settlement between Bolivia and Paraguay over the Chaco. The dispute remained part of his work after he became foreign secretary: in May 1933, he told Ambassador Josephus Daniels that Mexico would cooperate with the United States and the neighboring South American governments to pursue peace, while expressing concern about Chilean and Argentine interests in the disputed region. ^{2, 3}

In April 1934, Puig and Daniels signed a protocol intended to accelerate the settlement of longstanding bilateral claims. Rather than immediately resume formal arbitration, it provided for informal discussion of agrarian claims and a simpler process for determining other claims. His later diplomatic service included Argentina. ^{4, 1}

Puig also edited newspapers and wrote fiction and historical essays. His novels examined oil producing communities, prostitution, and the conduct of the new revolutionary elite, while his study of Benito Juárez drew on historical documents. He died in Havana in 1939. ¹