Alfonso Lancaster-Jones

He was born in Guadalajara, State of Jalisco (Mexico); son of RICHARD MADDOX JONES and ELIZABETH LANCASTER; his mother was the only child of the notable English educationalist JOSEPH LANCASTER (1778-1838), this fact made that the couple joined the LANCASTER-JONES family name to their children. His parents passed to Mexico in 1825 by invitation of the President Guadalupe Victoria to help with the establishment of the Lancasterian Schools in Mexico City. When arriving to Mexico City, Richard M. Jones was appointed as Second Secretary at the British Embassy.

ALFONSO LANCASTER-JONES was Attorney at Law, poet, man of letters, politician and diplomat. Senator, Deputy and President of the Union Congress of Mexico; Minister of President José María Iglesias, Secretary of Jalisco's Government and Governor of Mexico City. He was an extraordinary envoy of the President Porfirio Díaz to the Coronation of King Edward VII (U.K.), then, became Mexico's Ambassador and Full-Powered Minister to the U.K.

His oil on canvas portrait by Carlos Villaseñor, by Decree of Jalisco's Government (1903) passed to the Gallery of Illustrious Men of Jalisco (nowadays in the Museo Regional de Guadalajara). This portrait was first published by Francisco-Xavier López-Portillo y Lancaster-Jones in his book "Isn't Life Wonderful?" (2002), p. 175 (http://openlibrary.org/b/OL13520369M/Isn%27t_Life_Wonderful?).