Carlos Meléndez (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.

Political career
From 1904 to 1905, 1907 to 1910, and 1912 to 1914, Meléndez served as a deputy of the Legislative Assembly. From 29 April 1912 to 1913, Meléndez served as the president of the Legislative Assembly.

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. 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. 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.

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. 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. Under Meléndez, El Salvador remained neutral during World War I.

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. His body was returned to El Salvador on the USS Cleveland protected cruiser, arriving in La Libertad on 5 November 1919.