Carlos Meléndez (politician)
{{short description|President of El Salvador from 1913 to 1914 and 1915 to 1918}}
{{use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{use American English|date=August 2023}}
{{otherpeople|Carlos Meléndez}}
{{family name hatnote|Meléndez|Ramírez|lang=Spanish}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Carlos Meléndez
| image = Carlos Meléndez.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| alt =
| caption =
| office = 22nd President of El Salvador
| term_start = 1 March 1915
| term_end = 21 December 1918
| vicepresident = Alfonso Quiñónez Molina
| predecessor = Alfonso Quiñónez Molina
| successor = Alfonso Quiñónez Molina
| term_start1 = 9 February 1913
| term_end1 = 29 August 1914
Provisional President
| predecessor1 = Manuel Enrique Araujo
| successor1 = Alfonso Quiñónez Molina
| office2 = 64th President of the Legislative Assembly of El{{nbsp}}Salvador
| term_start2 = 29 April 1912
| term_end2 = 1913
| predecessor2 = Fidel Antonio Novoa Meléndez
| successor2 = Francisco García de Machón
| office3 = Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of El{{nbsp}}Salvador from San Salvador
| term_start3 = 1904 – 1905, 1907 – 1910, 1912
| term_end3 = 1914
| birth_name = Carlos Meléndez Ramírez
| birth_date = 1 February 1861
| birth_place = San Salvador, El Salvador
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1919|10|08|1861|02|01|df=y}}
| death_place = New York City, United States
| party = National Democratic Party
| otherparty =
| spouse = Sara Meza de Meléndez
| parents = Rafael Meléndez
Mercedes Ramírez
| relatives = Norberto Ramírez (grandfather)
| alma_mater =
| occupation = Politician
}}
Carlos Meléndez Ramírez (1 February 1861 – 8 October 1919) was a Salvadoran politician who served as the president of El Salvador from 1913 to 1914 and again from 1915 to 1918. He also served as the president of the Legislative Assembly from 1912 to 1913.
Early and personal life
Carlos Meléndez Ramírez was born on 1 February 1861 in San Salvador, El Salvador. His parents were Rafael Meléndez and Mercedes Ramírez de Meléndez. His maternal grandfather was Norberto Ramírez, the president of El Salvador from 1840 to 1841. His siblings were Rafael, Francisco, Guillermo, Jorge (who later served as president from 1919 to 1923), Leonor, Carmen, and Sor. His sister Carmen married Alfonso Quiñónez Molina, a physician. Meléndez married Sara Meza de Meléndez but did not have children.{{cite web|url=http://www.casapres.gob.sv/presidentes/pres/cmelendez1913.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090317070054/http://www.casapres.gob.sv/presidentes/pres/cmelendez1913.htm|archive-date=17 March 2009|access-date=14 July 2021|language=es|title=Presidentes de El Salvador – Don Carlos Melendez|trans-title=Presidents of El Salvador – Don Carlos Melendez|website=casapres.gob}}
Political career
From 1904 to 1905, 1907 to 1910, and 1912 to 1914, Meléndez served as a deputy of the Legislative Assembly.{{cite web|url=https://www.asamblea.gob.sv/sites/default/files/2017-12/Tomo_III_Historia_AsambleaLegislativa.pdf|language=es|publisher=Legislative Assembly of El Salvador|date=2006|access-date=19 June 2021|title=Historia del Órgano Legislativo de la República de El Salvador|trans-title=History of the Legislative Organ of the Republic of El Salvador|edition=III|author1-link=Ciro Cruz Zepeda|first=Ciro Cruz|last=Zepeda Peña|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307212238/https://www.asamblea.gob.sv/sites/default/files/2017-12/Tomo_III_Historia_AsambleaLegislativa.pdf|archive-date=7 March 2021}} From 29 April 1912 to 1913, Meléndez served as the president of the Legislative Assembly.{{cite web|url=http://abaco.uca.edu.sv/acervo/Diario_Oficial/1912/1912-05.pdf|title=Diario Oficial (6 May 1912 Issue)|work=Diario Oficial|language=es|volume=72|issue=104|location=San Salvador, El Salvador|page=945}}
Meléndez participated in the 1895 election, running to serve as General Rafael Antonio Gutiérrez's vice president. Meléndez won 18,792 votes, or 30.91 percent, losing to Liberal opponent Prudencio Alfaro.{{cite web|url=https://library.ucsd.edu/research-and-collections/collections/notable-collections/latin-american-elections-statistics/El%20Salvador/elections-and-events-1850-1899.html|title=Elections and Events 1850–1899|access-date=25 March 2021|publisher=The Library – UC San Diego|language=en|work=University of California, San Diego|archive-date=23 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323211303/https://library.ucsd.edu/research-and-collections/collections/notable-collections/latin-american-elections-statistics/El%20Salvador/elections-and-events-1850-1899.html|url-status=dead}} Meléndez participated in the 1903 election, running to serve as Pedro José Escalón's vice president. Meléndez won 138 votes, or 0.12 percent, coming in last place and losing to Calixto Velado Eduardo.{{cite news|url=http://abaco.uca.edu.sv/acervo/Diario_Oficial/1903/1903-02.pdf|title=Cuadro Demonstrativo de los Votos Emitidos para Presidente y Vice Presidente de la República en el Período de 1903 a 1907|trans-title=Demonstrative Table of the Votes Cast for President and Vice President of the Republic for the Period of 1903 to 1907|language=es|date=20 February 1903|work=Diario Oficial|access-date=4 February 2023|volume=54|number=44|page=298}} Meléndez participated in the 1907 presidential election; he won only 8 votes, or 0.01 percent, coming in sixth place and losing to General Fernando Figueroa.{{cite news|url=http://abaco.uca.edu.sv/acervo/Diario_Oficial/1907/1907-02.pdf|title=Cuadro Demonstrativo de los Votos Emitidos para Presidente y Vice Presidente de la República en el Período de 1907 a 1911|trans-title=Demonstrative Table of the Votes Cast for President and Vice President of the Republic for the Period of 1907 to 1911|language=es|date=26 February 1907|work=Diario Oficial|access-date=4 February 2023|volume=62|number=48|page=354}}
On 9 February 1913, President Manuel Enrique Araujo was assassinated in San Salvador. As Araujo's vice president, Onofre Durán Santillana, had resigned prior to Araujo's assassination, Meléndez, who Araujo selected as the first designate, became the country's provisional president, serving until 29 August 1914 when he was succeeded by Quiñónez.{{cite web|url=https://library.ucsd.edu/research-and-collections/collections/notable-collections/latin-american-elections-statistics/El%20Salvador/elections-and-events-1900-1934.html|title=Elections and Events 1900–1934|access-date=4 February 2023|language=en|work=University of California, San Diego|archive-date=23 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323211317/https://library.ucsd.edu/research-and-collections/collections/notable-collections/latin-american-elections-statistics/El%20Salvador/elections-and-events-1900-1934.html|url-status=dead}} On 12 January 1915, Meléndez was elected as president of El Salvador unopposed and assumed office on 1 March 1915; Quiñónez was his vice president. In 1918, Meléndez formed the Red League, a paramilitary organization of the National Democratic Party (PDN) to intimidate political opponents. Meléndez considered the Gulf of Fonseca to be Salvadoran territory due to historical reasons and its geographic configuration.{{sfn|Bernal Ramírez|Quijano de Batres|2009|p=74}} Under Meléndez, El Salvador remained neutral during World War I.{{sfn|Bernal Ramírez|Quijano de Batres|2009|p=35}}
Illness and death
On 21 December 1918, Meléndez resigned due to illness and was succeeded by Quiñónez. In August 1919, Meléndez left El Salvador to the United States to seek treatment for his illness where he died in New York City on 8 October 1919. His funeral was held the two days later at St. Patrick's Cathedral.{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/42315192/carlos_melendez_dies/|title=Carlos Meléndez Dies|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|page=3|date=9 October 1919|access-date=14 January 2020|location=New York City, New York}} His body was returned to El Salvador on the USS Cleveland protected cruiser, arriving in La Libertad on 5 November 1919.
Electoral history
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; text-align:center;"
! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan="2" | Year ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan="2" | Office ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan="2" | Type ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" colspan="2" rowspan="2" | Party ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan="2" | Main opponent ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" colspan="2" rowspan="2" | Party ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" colspan="4" | Votes for Meléndez ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan="2" | Result ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" colspan="2" rowspan="2" | Swing |
| style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | Total
! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | % ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | {{abbr|2=Position|P}}. ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | {{tooltip|2=Change in percentage value since previous election|±%}} |
|---|
| style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | 1895
| Vice President of El Salvador | General | style="background-color:Maroon;" | | Liberal | style="background-color:Maroon;" | | Liberal | 18,792 | 30.91 | 2nd | N/A | {{no2|Lost}} | style="background-color:Maroon;" | | Hold |
| style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan="2" | 1903
| President of El Salvador | General | style="background-color:{{Party color|Military rule}};" | | Military | style="background-color:#0000CD;" | | Conservative | colspan="4" | Unknown | {{no2|Lost}} | style="background-color:#0000CD;" | | Gain |
| Vice President of El Salvador
| General | style="background-color:Maroon;" | | Liberal | style="background-color:{{party color|Independent politician}};" | | Ind. | 138 | 0.12 | 9th | –30.79 | {{no2|Lost}} | style="background-color:{{party color|Independent politician}};" | | Gain |
| style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | 1907
| President of El Salvador | General | style="background-color:Maroon;" | | Liberal | style="background-color:Maroon;" | | Liberal | 8 | 0.01 | 6th | ? | {{no2|Lost}} | style="background-color:Maroon;" | | Gain |
| style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | 1915
| President of El Salvador | General | style="background-color:{{party color|National Democratic Party (El Salvador)}};" | | PDN | colspan="3" | Unopposed | ? | 100.00 | 1st | +99.99 | {{yes2|Won}} | style="background-color:{{party color|National Democratic Party (El Salvador)}};" | | Hold |
References
= Citations =
{{Reflist}}
= Bibliography =
- {{cite book|editor-last1=Bernal Ramírez|editor-first1=Luis Guillermo|editor-last2=Quijano de Batres|editor-first2=Ana Elia|date=2009|title=Historia 2 El Salvador|trans-title=History 2 El Salvador|url=https://www.mined.gob.sv/descarga/cipotes/historia_ESA_TomoII_0_.pdf|series=Historia El Salvador|language=es|volume= |edition=|publisher=Ministry of Education|isbn=978-99923-63-68-3|access-date=3 October 2021|name-list-style=amp}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=Fidel Antonio Novoa Meléndez}}
{{s-ttl|title=President of the Legislative Assembly|years=1912–1913}}
{{s-aft|after=Francisco García de Machón}}
{{s-bef|before=Manuel Enrique Araujo}}
{{s-ttl|title=President of El Salvador
(provisional)|years=1913–1914}}
{{s-aft|after=Alfonso Quiñónez Molina
(provisional)}}
{{s-bef|before=Alfonso Quiñónez Molina
(provisional)}}
{{s-ttl|title=President of El Salvador|years=1915–1918}}
{{s-aft|after=Alfonso Quiñónez Molina
(provisional)}}
{{s-end}}
{{Portal bar|Biography|El Salvador|Politics}}
{{Heads of state of El Salvador}}
{{Presidents of the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Melendez, Carlos}}
Category:People from San Salvador
Category:Salvadoran people of Spanish descent
Category:20th-century presidents of El Salvador
Category:20th-century Salvadoran politicians
Category:Members of the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador
Category:Presidents of the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador
Category:National Democratic Party (El Salvador) politicians