Carlos Meléndez (politician)

Carlos Meléndez
Carlos Meléndez
	Meléndez in 1915
50th President of El Salvador
	In office; 1 March 1915 – 21 December 1918
Vice President	Alfonso Quiñónez Molina
Preceded by	Alfonso Quiñónez Molina
Succeeded by	Alfonso Quiñónez Molina
	In office; 9 February 1913 – 29 August 1914; Provisional President
Preceded by	Manuel Enrique Araujo
Succeeded by	Alfonso Quiñónez Molina
64th President of the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador
	In office; 29 April 1912 – 1913
Preceded by	Fidel Antonio Novoa Meléndez
Succeeded by	Francisco García de Machón
Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador from San Salvador
	In office; 1904 – 1905, 1907 – 1910, 1912 – 1914
Personal details
Born	Carlos Meléndez Ramírez; 1 February 1861; San Salvador, El Salvador
Died	8 October 1919 (aged 58); New York City, United States
Political party	Liberal
Spouse	Sara Meza de Meléndez
Parent(s)	Rafael Meléndez; Mercedes Ramírez
Relatives	Norberto Ramírez (grandfather); Jorge Meléndez (brother); Alfonso Quiñónez Molina (brother-in-law)
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. Meléndez's presidency was a part of the broader Meléndez–Quiñónez dynasty that ruled El Salvador from 1913 to 1927.^[1]

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.^[2]

Political career

From 1904 to 1905, 1907 to 1910, and 1912 to 1914, Meléndez served as a deputy of the Legislative Assembly.^[3] From 29 April 1912 to 1913, Meléndez served as the president of the Legislative Assembly.^[3]^[4]

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.^[5] 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.^[6] 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.^[7]

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.^[2]^[8] 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.^[8] Meléndez considered the Gulf of Fonseca to be Salvadoran territory due to historical reasons and its geographic configuration.^[9] Under Meléndez, El Salvador remained neutral during World War I.^[10]

Illness and death

On 21 December 1918, Meléndez resigned due to illness and was succeeded by Quiñónez.^[8] 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.^[2] His funeral was held the two days later at St. Patrick's Cathedral.^[11] His body was returned to El Salvador on the USS Cleveland protected cruiser, arriving in La Libertad on 5 November 1919.^[2]

Electoral history

Year	Office	Type	Party		Main opponent	Party		Votes for Meléndez				Result	Swing
Year	Office	Type	Party		Main opponent	Party		Total	%	P.	±%	Result	Swing
1895	Vice President of El Salvador	General		Liberal	Prudencio Alfaro		Liberal	18,792	30.91	2nd	N/A	Lost		Hold
1903	President of El Salvador	General		Liberal	Pedro José Escalón		Liberal	Unknown				Lost		Hold
1903	Vice President of El Salvador	General		Liberal	Calixto Velado Eduardo		Ind.	138	0.12	9th	–30.79	Lost		Gain
1907	President of El Salvador	General		Liberal	Fernando Figueroa		Liberal	8	0.01	6th	?	Lost		Hold
1915	President of El Salvador	General		Liberal	Unopposed			?	100.00	1st	+99.99	Won		Hold

References

Citations

^ Bernal Ramírez & Quijano de Batres 2009, p. 106.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Presidentes de El Salvador – Don Carlos Melendez" [Presidents of El Salvador – Don Carlos Melendez]. casapres.gob (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 17 March 2009. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
^ ^a ^b Zepeda Peña, Ciro Cruz (2006). "Historia del Órgano Legislativo de la República de El Salvador" [History of the Legislative Organ of the Republic of El Salvador] (PDF) (in Spanish) (III ed.). Legislative Assembly of El Salvador. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
^ Diario Oficial 1912, p. 945.
^ Ching 1997, p. 175.
^ Diario Oficial 1903, p. 298.
^ Diario Oficial 1907, p. 354.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Elections and Events 1900–1934". University of California, San Diego. Archived from the original on 23 March 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
^ Bernal Ramírez & Quijano de Batres 2009, p. 74.
^ Bernal Ramírez & Quijano de Batres 2009, p. 35.
^ Brooklyn Daily Eagle 1919, p. 3.

Bibliography

Books

Bernal Ramírez, Luis Guillermo & Quijano de Batres, Ana Elia, eds. (2009). Historia 2 El Salvador [History 2 El Salvador] (PDF). Historia El Salvador (in Spanish). Ministry of Education. ISBN 9789992363683. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
Ching, Erik K. (1997). From Clientelism to Militarism: The State, Politics and Authoritarianism in El Salvador, 1840–1940. Santa Barbara, California: University of California, Santa Barbara. OCLC 39326756. ProQuest 304330235. Retrieved 10 August 2025.

Newspapers

"Carlos Meléndez Dies". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. New York City, New York. 9 October 1919. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
"Cuadro Demonstrativo de los Votos Emitidos para Presidente y Vice Presidente de la República en el Período de 1903 a 1907" [Demonstrative Table of the Votes Cast for President and Vice President of the Republic for the Period of 1903 to 1907] (PDF). Diario Oficial (in Spanish). Vol. 54, no. 44. San Salvador, El Salvador. 20 February 1903. p. 298. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
"Cuadro Demonstrativo de los Votos Emitidos para Presidente y Vice Presidente de la República en el Período de 1907 a 1911" [Demonstrative Table of the Votes Cast for President and Vice President of the Republic for the Period of 1907 to 1911] (PDF). Diario Oficial (in Spanish). Vol. 62, no. 48. San Salvador, El Salvador. 26 February 1907. p. 354. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
"Diario Oficial (6 May 1912 Issue)" (PDF). Diario Oficial (in Spanish). San Salvador, El Salvador. 6 May 1912. p. 945. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 August 2023.

External links

"Dinastía Meléndez Quiñónez – Parte I y II (2004)" [Meléndez Quiñónez Dynasty – Parts I and II (2004)]. YouTube (in Spanish). University of Central America. 22 April 2004. Retrieved 21 May 2025.

Political offices
Preceded by Fidel Antonio Novoa Meléndez	President of the Legislative Assembly 1912–1913	Succeeded by Francisco García de Machón
Preceded by Manuel Enrique Araujo	President of El Salvador (provisional) 1913–1914	Succeeded by Alfonso Quiñónez Molina (provisional)
Preceded by Alfonso Quiñónez Molina (provisional)	President of El Salvador 1915–1918	Succeeded by Alfonso Quiñónez Molina (provisional)

[FOOTNOTEBernal_RamírezQuijano_de_Batres2009106-1] Bernal Ramírez & Quijano de Batres 2009, p. 106.

[CMR-2] "Presidentes de El Salvador – Don Carlos Melendez" [Presidents of El Salvador – Don Carlos Melendez]. casapres.gob (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 17 March 2009. Retrieved 14 July 2021.

[CCZ-3] Zepeda Peña, Ciro Cruz (2006). "Historia del Órgano Legislativo de la República de El Salvador" [History of the Legislative Organ of the Republic of El Salvador] (PDF) (in Spanish) (III ed.). Legislative Assembly of El Salvador. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.

[FOOTNOTEDiario_Oficial1912945-4] Diario Oficial 1912, p. 945.

[FOOTNOTEChing1997175-5] Ching 1997, p. 175.

[FOOTNOTEDiario_Oficial1903298-6] Diario Oficial 1903, p. 298.

[FOOTNOTEDiario_Oficial1907354-7] Diario Oficial 1907, p. 354.

[UCSD-8] "Elections and Events 1900–1934". University of California, San Diego. Archived from the original on 23 March 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2023.

[FOOTNOTEBernal_RamírezQuijano_de_Batres200974-9] Bernal Ramírez & Quijano de Batres 2009, p. 74.

[FOOTNOTEBernal_RamírezQuijano_de_Batres200935-10] Bernal Ramírez & Quijano de Batres 2009, p. 35.

[FOOTNOTEBrooklyn_Daily_Eagle19193-11] Brooklyn Daily Eagle 1919, p. 3.

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v t e Heads of state of El Salvador
List of heads of state of El Salvador
Post-independence (1821–1823)	Barriere Delgado Filísola Codallos Consultive Junta^‡ Prado^†
Federal Republic of Central America (1823–1841)	J. Rodríguez Prado J. V. Villacorta Prado Cornejo J. D. Villacorta Cornejo Morazán^† J. San Martín Prado J. San Martín C. Salazar^† G. Salazar^† Escolán^† Silva Espinoza F. Gómez Vigil T. Menéndez Vigil T. Menéndez Cañas^† Morazán Silva^† Cañas^† Ramírez^† Lindo^†
Republic of El Salvador (1841–1931)	Lindo^† Arce^† Marín^† J. J. Guzmán D. Villacorta^† Marín^† J. J. Guzmán Arce^† Palacios^† Malespín Palacios^† J. E. Guzmán Palacios^† Aguilar Palacios^† Aguilar Medina^† Quirós^† Vasconcelos R. Rodríguez^† Vasconcelos Dueñas^† Quirós^† Dueñas J. M. San Martín^† Dueñas V. Gómez^† J. M. San Martín J. Hernández^† J. M. San Martín Dueñas^† Campo Dueñas^† Campo Zepeda^† Santín Barrios^† Santín J. E. Guzmán^† Peralta^† Barrios Dueñas González Méndez^† González del Valle Zaldívar Guirola^† Zaldívar Figueroa^† Rosales^† F. Menéndez C. Ezeta A. Ezeta^† Gutiérrez Regalado Escalón Figueroa M. Araujo C. Meléndez^† Quiñónez^† C. Meléndez Quiñónez^† J. Meléndez Quiñónez P. Romero A. Araujo
Military presidents (1931–1979)	Civic Directory^‡ Hernández Martínez^† A. Menéndez^† Hernández Martínez A. Menéndez^† Aguirre^† Castaneda Revolutionary Council of Government^‡ Osorio Lemus Junta of Government^‡ Civic-Military Directory^‡ Cordón^† Rivera F. Sánchez A. Molina C. Romero
Salvadoran Civil War (1979–1992)	Revolutionary Government Junta^‡ Magaña Duarte Cristiani
Post-Civil War (since 1992)	Cristiani Calderón Flores Saca Funes S. Sánchez Bukele C. Rodríguez^†
^† – Acting or provisional president ^‡ – Military junta

v t e Presidents of the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador
1800s	Hoyos Cornejo Mencía V. Rodríguez Blanco Paiz Mencía Zelaya Aguilar A. Morales San Martín Bonilla Dueñas Hernández Gómez Cabañas Gallardo Quirós S. González Chacón Gallardo Zaldívar Gallardo Chacón Zaldívar Campo Vasconcelos Larreynaga Fallos Valle Castro G. López D. López Vides Moreno Guirola Alvarado Galindo Ruíz Valle Larreynaga Pacas Pineda Vaquero Arce Durán A. Castro Pinto Medina Arriola Fallos Interiano Romero Aráuz
1900s	Arriola R. García Aráuz Novoa Mejía Aráuz R. García Martínez Pinto Novoa Meléndez F. García Batres Falla Parker M. Castro D. González J. Rodríguez F. López F. Reyes Olano Villacorta R. Morales Cierra F. Reyes Rivas Galindo Peralta Carmona Esquivel Cordón Guerrero Guardado Guerra R. Rodríguez Echeverría D'Aubuisson Castillo Guevara Alvarenga Angulo Salguero Flores Duch
2000s	Zepeda Araujo Zepeda Orellana Zepeda S. Reyes Peña Mendoza Gallegos Quijano Ponce E. Castro

Authority control databases
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National	United States Israel
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