Juan N. Méndez
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Juan N. Méndez was a Mexican general and Liberal politician who served as interim president of the Republic during the Porfiriato. He was a confidant of Porfirio Díaz and held the presidency from 6 December 1876 to 17 February 1877. Born in the Sierra Norte de Puebla, he worked in commerce and livestock before enlisting in 1847 to fight the United States in the Mexican–American War. He remained in the army, rising through the ranks and taking part in the major conflicts of his era: the War of the Reform, the French Intervention, and the war against Emperor Maximilian.
He defended Puebla, was captured and exiled by the French, and later returned to fight. After Díaz's successful Tuxtepec revolt, Méndez served as interim president, called elections, and then moved to the Senate and the governorship of Puebla. He ended his career as president of the Supreme Military Court, dying in Mexico City in 1894 with no property or money.
Biography
Méndez was born in Tetela de Ocampo in the Sierra Norte de Puebla on 2 July 1824. Until 1847 he worked in commerce and livestock, then enlisted to fight the United States in the Mexican–American War. He stayed in the army, and on 15 December 1854 he became commander of a battalion in the Puebla National Guard. His unit backed the Plan of Ayutla in 1854 and fought in the War of the Reform, the French Intervention, and the war against Emperor Maximilian.
In January 1856 he defended Puebla against the rebels of Zacapoaxtla, and in 1857 he fought Conservatives in the mountains of Puebla and Tlaxcala, earning a promotion to colonel of infantry that same year. In 1858 he was made treasurer of the State of Puebla and prefect of the Department of Zacatlán. He fought in the Battle of Puebla on 5 May 1862 and helped defend the city during the siege that followed. On 27 July 1863 he was promoted to brigadier general and that year became governor and military commander of Puebla.
The French captured him and sent him into exile on 17 January 1866, but he returned to the country on 31 July 1866. On 26 August 1866 he was named political chief of the Sierra Norte, then commander in chief of the forces of the State of Puebla. With General Sóstenes Rocha, he took part in the siege of Querétaro in 1867. He joined the revolutions of La Noria (1871) and Tuxtepec (1876).
As interim president
After the Plan de Tuxtepec succeeded, Díaz turned over the government to Méndez on 6 December 1876 so Díaz could fight the partisans of José María Iglesias. As interim president, Méndez called elections, which Díaz won. Méndez's term ended on 17 February 1877 when Díaz returned to the presidency. In 1877 Méndez entered the Senate, where he worked to end the military draft, serving until 1880.
After the presidency
He was governor of Puebla for a third time from 1 October 1880 to 31 January 1885. On 3 February 1885 he became president of the Supreme Military Court, serving until his death in Mexico City in 1894. He left no property or money.
More in People of the Second French Intervention in Mexico
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Juan N. Méndez (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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