Background
He was born in Morelia, Michoacán, as the son of Pascual Ortiz de Ayala y Huerta and Lenor Rubio Cornelis.
He was born in Morelia, Michoacán, as the son of Pascual Ortiz de Ayala y Huerta and Lenor Rubio Cornelis.
He served as president from 1930 to 1932, having previously served as Governor of Michoacán from 1917 to 1918 and as secretary of communications from 1920 to 1921. Pascual Ortiz stood in the election of 17 November 1929 as the candidate of the newly formed National Revolutionary Party, the forerunner of the Institutional Revolutionary Party. However, Ortiz was an ineffective leader. Alleging excessive interference in his presidency by former president Plutarco Elías Calles, whom Ortiz demonstrated independence from while in office, and still seriously shaken by an attempt on his life at the very start of his mandate, he resigned the presidency on 4 September 1932.
He was succeeded by interim president Abelardo L. Rodríguez.