Juan Nepomuceno Laureano Méndez Sánchez (2 July 1824 – 29 November 1894) was a Mexican general, a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

politician and confidant of

Porfirio Díaz José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori (; ; 15 September 1830 – 2 July 1915) was a General (Mexico), Mexican general and politician who was the dictator of Mexico from 1876 until Mexican Revolution, his overthrow in 1911 seizing power in a Plan ...

, and interim

president of the Republic The President of the Republic is a title used for heads of state and/or heads of government in countries having republican form of government. Designation In most cases the president of a republic is elected, either: * by direct universal s ...

for a few months during the

Porfiriato The Porfiriato or Porfirismo (, ), coined by Mexican historian Daniel Cosío Villegas, is a term given to the period when General Porfirio Díaz ruled Mexico under an Authoritarianism, authoritarian military dictatorship in the late 19th and e ...

. He served from 6 December 1876 until 17 February 1877.

Biography

Before the presidency

Born in

Tetela de Ocampo Tetela de Ocampo is a town in Tetela de Ocampo Municipality in the Sierra Norte region of the Mexican state of Puebla. "Tetela" is a name of Nahuatl origin, containing the elements ''tetl'' (hill) and ''tla'' (many): it thus means "place of man ...

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 a ...

, Méndez worked in commerce and livestock until 1847. In that year, he enlisted in the

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

to fight the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

. 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 The Plan of Ayutla was the 1854 written plan aimed at removing conservative, centralist President Antonio López de Santa Anna from control of Mexico during the Second Federal Republic of Mexico period. Initially, it seemed little different from ...

in 1854 and took an active part in the

War of the Reform The Reform War (17 December 185711 January 1861) or War of Reform (), also known as the Three Years' War (), and the Mexican Civil War, was a complex civil conflict in Mexico fought between Mexican liberals and conservatives with regional var ...

, the War of the French Intervention and the war opposing Emperor Maximilian. He defended Puebla against the rebels of

Zacapoaxtla Zacapoaxtla is a city and seat of the Zacapoaxtla Municipality, in the Mexican state of Puebla. The city has a population of 8,062 inhabitants, while the municipality has 49,242 inhabitants at the 2000 census. Name The name means ''place where ...

in January 1856 and fought the Conservatives in the mountains of Puebla and

Tlaxcala Tlaxcala, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tlaxcala, is one of the 32 federal entities that comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Tlaxcala, 60 municipalities and t ...

in 1857. The same year, he was promoted to colonel of

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

. In 1858, he was made treasurer of the State of Puebla and prefect of the Department of

Zacatlán Zacatlán (; Nahuatl: ) is a city and municipal seat of Zacatlán Municipality located in the Sierra Norte de Puebla region of Puebla in central Mexico. The area is known for its production of apples, other fruit, cider and fruit wines, which are ...

. He fought in the

Battle of Puebla The Battle of Puebla (; ), also known as the Battle of May 5 () took place on 5 May 1862, near Puebla de los Ángeles, during the second French intervention in Mexico. French troops under the command of Charles de Lorencez repeatedly failed to s ...

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, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Puebla, is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its capital is Puebla City. Part of east-centr ...

. 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, and afterwards commander in chief of the forces of the State of Puebla. Together with General

Sóstenes Rocha Sóstenes is Spanish and Portuguese for Sosthenes. It may refer to: *Sóstenes Cavalcante Sóstenes Silva Cavalcante (born 16 January 1975) is a Brazilian politician and pastor. Although born in Alagoas, he has spent his political career represe ...

, he took part in the siege of

Querétaro Querétaro, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Querétaro, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Querétaro, 18 municipalities. Its capital city is Querétaro Cit ...

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 ''La Noria'' (Spanish for "''The Ferris Wheel''") was a Spanish talk show produced by the company ''La Fábrica de la Tele'' which aired on the Spanish television channel Telecinco from 2007 to 2012. The show was hosted by Jordi González and h ...

(Díaz's unsuccessful 1871 revolt against

Benito Juárez Benito Pablo Juárez García (; 21 March 1806 – 18 July 1872) was a Mexican politician, military commander, and lawyer who served as the 26th president of Mexico from 1858 until his death in office in 1872. A Zapotec peoples, Zapotec, he w ...

) and

Tuxtepec San Juan Bautista Tuxtepec (, "on the hill of rabbits"), or simply referred to as Tuxtepec, is the head of the municipality by the same name and is the second most populous city of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is part of the Tuxtepec District of ...

(Díaz's successful 1876 revolt against

Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada y Corral (; 24 April 1823 – 21 April 1889) was a Mexican liberal politician and jurist who served as the 31st president of Mexico from 1872 to 1876. A successor to Benito Juárez, who died in office in July 1872, ...

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 José María Juan Nepomuceno Crisóforo Iglesias Inzáurraga (5 January 1823 – 17 December 1891) was a Mexican lawyer, professor, journalist and liberal politician. He is known as author of the Iglesias law, an anticlerical law regulating e ...

. 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 Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

in 1894. He left no property or money.

Personal life

His wife was Trinidad González y Castruera.

Biography

Before the presidency

As interim president

After the presidency

Personal life

See also

References

Further reading