Juan Nepomuceno Méndez Sánchez (2 July 1820 – 29 November 1894) was a Mexican general, a
Liberal politician and confidant of
Porfirio Díaz
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori ( or ; ; 15 September 1830 – 2 July 1915), known as Porfirio Díaz, was a Mexican general and politician who served seven terms as President of Mexico, a total of 31 years, from 28 November 1876 to 6 Decem ...
, and interim
president of the Republic for a few months during the
Porfiriato. He served from 6 December 1876 until 17 February 1877.
Biography
Before the presidency
Born in
Tetela de Ocampo in the
Sierra Norte de Puebla
The Sierra Norte de Puebla is a rugged mountainous region accounting for the northern third of the state of Puebla, Mexico. It is at the intersection of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt and the Sierra Madre Oriental, between the Mexican Plateau ...
, Méndez worked in commerce and livestock until 1847. In that year, he enlisted in the
army to fight the
United States in the
Mexican–American War. He continued in the army after the war, and on 15 December 1854 he was named commander of a battalion in the Puebla National Guard. His unit adhered to the
Plan de Ayutla
A plan is typically any diagram or list of steps with details of timing and resources, used to achieve an objective to do something. It is commonly understood as a temporal set of intended actions through which one expects to achieve a goal.
F ...
in 1854 and took an active part in the
War of the Reform, the
War of the French Intervention and the war opposing
Emperor Maximilian.
He defended Puebla against the rebels of
Zacapoaxtla in January 1856 and fought the Conservatives in the mountains of Puebla and
Tlaxcala in 1857. The same year, he was promoted to colonel of
infantry. 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 against the French on 5 May 1862 and took part in the defense of the city during the subsequent siege. On 27 July 1863, he was promoted to
brigadier general. That year, he was also named governor and military commander of
Puebla
Puebla ( en, colony, settlement), officially Free and Sovereign State of Puebla ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its cap ...
.
He was later taken prisoner by the French, who sent him into exile on 17 January 1866. He managed to return to the country on 31 July 1866. On 26 August 1866, he became political chief of the
Sierra Norte Sierra Norte may refer to:
Mexico:
*Sierra Norte de Puebla, in the state of Puebla
* Sierra Norte de Oaxaca, in the state of Oaxaca
Spain:
* Sierra Norte de Sevilla, a mountain range of the Sierra Morena system
* Parque Natural Sierra Norte ...
, and afterwards commander in chief of the forces of the State of Puebla.
Together with General
Sóstenes Rocha, he took part in the siege of
Querétaro
Querétaro (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Querétaro ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Querétaro, links=no; Otomi language, Otomi: ''Hyodi Ndämxei''), is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. I ...
in 1867. He was again named governor and military commander of Puebla on 16 April 1867, positions he held until 15 January of the following year.
He took part in the revolutions of
La Noria (Díaz's unsuccessful 1871 revolt against
Benito Juárez) and
Tuxtepec (Díaz's successful 1876 revolt against
Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada).
As interim president
With the success of the Plan de Tuxtepec, Díaz temporarily turned over the government to Méndez on 6 December 1876 in order to take the field to fight the partisans of
José María Iglesias. Iglesias claimed to be the legal president of Mexico. As interim president, Méndez called elections, which Díaz won. Méndez's term ended on 17 February 1877 with the return of Díaz to the presidency.
After the presidency
Méndez entered the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
in 1877, where he worked to end the military draft. He was a senator until 1880. 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,
where he served until his death in
Mexico City in 1894. He left no property or money.
Personal life
His wife was Trinidad González y Castruera.
See also
*
List of heads of state of Mexico
References
Further reading
*García Puron, Manuel, ''México y sus gobernantes'', v. 2. Mexico City: Joaquín Porrúa, 1984.
*Orozco Linares, Fernando, ''Gobernantes de México''. Mexico City: Panorama Editorial, 1985, .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mendez, Juan N
Mexican generals
Presidents of Mexico
Members of the Senate of the Republic (Mexico)
1820 births
1894 deaths
Second French intervention in Mexico
Politicians from Puebla