:quality(85)//cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/DVHWJ4ESNVFPNDTKQZKIGW5JOU.jpg "How William Jenkins, the richest person in Mexico in the first half of the 20th century, managed to accumulate his fortune 1")
At present, it is known that the list of the richest people in Mexico is headed by the Lebanese-born Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim Helúwhich according to the latest list published in the American magazine specializing in financial matters Forbeshas a fortune of 81 thousand 200 million dollars.
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After him, other personalities stand out, such as German Larrea and Ricardo Salinas Pliego. However, before there was a count of Forbes To know who were the richest people in Mexico and in the world, during the first half of the 20th century, there was a person who was not from the country and who He became the richest in Mexico.
It is William Oscar Jenkins, And American businessman who had lived in the country since the beginning of the last century.
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Jenkins arrived in Mexico in 1901, when he was barely 23 years old and had a few dollars in his pocket. It all started as a tourist trip with his wife Mary Street Jenkins, know the state of the north of Nuevo León, more precisely its capital, Monterrey.
However, what would be a journey on foot would become your residence for the rest of your life. And it is that in Monterrey He found a job in a railroad company, then in a mining company.
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In 1905 he settled in the center of the country, in the state of Puebla. There, he joins forces with other foreigners to create a small textile factory. It would be without knowing it the start of a great fortune that would accumulate until his death.
at the start of the Mexican Revolution, In 1910, the American, taking advantage of the low prices of families who wanted to flee the war, bought estates, mansions and lands. Moreover, he offered very high interest rate loans. At the end of the first stage of the battles, Jenkins He sold many of his properties at very high prices.
For the moment, Jenkins was already known for his great fortuneand in 1919 he was kidnapped, however, when he was released he was accused of faking his kidnapping to obtain a large sum of money, and was Imprisoned for perjury and intimidation of witnesses.
This incident caused a diplomatic conflict between Mexico and the United Stateswhere some people They offered to annex part of their neighbor’s territory to compensate for the magnate’s grievance.
After his kidnapping, the American tycoon bought all the sugar cane plantations in the town of Atencingo, Pueblawhere the most important mill in the country was located, however, the president Lazaro Cardenas nationalized the property, so the tycoon decided try your luck at the movies.
In a few years, he managed to be owner of 80% of movie theaters in MexicoIt’s included, He has supported several films with capital. In addition, it entered the banking sector by acquiring the largest financial institution of the time: the Bank of Commerce (Bancomer).
The growth of Jenkins’ fortune has always been shrouded in controversy. Although the American tycoon helped rebuild the country’s economy after the Revolution, it was not done for free. The characters from the armed movement needed the money of businessmen like him to win the elections. And businessmen, in turn, needed the support of politicians to increase their fortunes.
Although this type of relationship was common among Mexican businessmen at the time, Jenkins was particularly good at this. For example in Pueblasupported the brothers with thousands of dollars Maximino, Manuel and Rafael Avila Camachowho were the main members of the Party of the Mexican Revolution (PRM), predecessor of the current Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).
The money was disbursed irregularly, through personal loans or in-kind funding, which is prohibited for foreigners in Mexico. But that investment paid off when Manuel Ávila Camacho became president from 1940 to 1946; Maximino was governor of Puebla between 1937 and 1941, then his brother Rafael held the same position from 1951 to 1957. It was precisely during this period that Jenkins he managed to reach the pinnacle of his fortune.
Besides, Jenkins was the founder of the University of the Americas Pueblaand I create the Mary Street Jenkins Foundation. He died of cardiac arrest on June 4, 1963 in the city of Puebla.
Upon his death he decided not to leave an inheritance to his children and sent his entire fortune to the foundation which bears his wife’s name, however, in 2021 it was revealed there was a dispute on the money of the said foundation.