Carlos Hank González

Carlos Hank González (1927–2001), nicknamed El Profesor ("The Professor"), was a Mexican politician and influential businessman. Originally a teacher, he was an entrepreneur who built political contacts along with a business empire, leading to various government and political positions at the state (State of Mexico) and national level. He was prevented from seeking the presidency due to laws requiring both parents to be Mexicans by birth, whereas his father was German.[1]

"Hank González" redirects here. For the Mexicable stations, see Hank González (Mexicable).
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Hank and the second or maternal family name is González.
Carlos Hank González (right), with Carmen Romano, in 1980

Biography

Carlos Hank González was born in Santiago Tianguistenco in the State of Mexico. He graduated from the Escuela Nacional de Toluca as a primary education teacher and from the Normal Superior (Teacher's College) de México as a professor of history and biology. From 1947 to 1951 he was a teacher at the Secundaria Federal de Atlacomulco.[2] To supplement his income, he sold candy on the side. He grew and exchanged his small businesses into larger ones, along the way adding names of prominent politicians to his list of contacts. He founded a business empire of banking and transportation interests. In 1999, Forbes estimated his wealth at about US$1.3 billion.[3]

He married Guadalupe Rhon, with whom he had five children, 3 boys and 2 girls. He is the father of Carlos Hank Rhon, Cuauhtemoc Hank Rhon, and Jorge Hank Rhon[3] and grandfather of Carlos Hank González who now heads the company called Grupo Financiero Interacciones.[4]

Career

Hank González's political career began when he moved from Atlacomulco to Toluca to take charge of the State of Mexico's Departmento de Escuelas Secundarias y Profesionales (Department of Professional and Secondary Schools) as well as the Oficina de Juntas de Mejoramiento Moral, Cívico y Material (Office of Committees for Moral, Civic and Material Improvement) between 1952 and 1953. The following year he was in charge of the treasury for the municipality of Toluca. From 1955 to 1957 he was the president of the ayuntamiento of Toluca.[2]

His federal service began in 1961 when he became a congressman (diputado federal) for the XLIV Legislature. However, at the height of his political career, he served as the governor of the State of Mexico from 1969 to 1975 and was appointed "regent"(similar to mayor) of Mexico City in 1976. Federally, he served as Secretary of Tourism from 1988 to 1990 when he was then named as Secretary of Agriculture and Hydraulic Resources.[2]

He was considered one of the leaders of the old guard wing of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI)[5] He began as chief of the Delegación del Sector Popular at district, state and national conventions of the PRI, then was a delegate for the party for the states of Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche and Quintana Roo. He worked his way up to be a member of the Comisión Pólitica del Comité Ejecutivo Nacional, advising presidents of the party.[2] His death not only left a vacant place in the party structure of the PRI but it also signaled the end of a cycle in Mexican politics.[5]

Constitutionally barred from running for the Mexican presidency by a provision then in force which excluded those with a foreign-born parent from holding the office. His father, Jorge Hank Weber, was German and a colonel in both the German and Mexican armies.[5] However, Carlos Hank had great influence in the PRI party, culminating in the late 1980s and early 1990s during the presidency of Carlos Salinas de Gortari.

As mayor of Mexico City, he built the Eje vial system of roads and other projects designed to make the city more car-friendly.

Death

In 1997, Carlos Hank González suffered an embolism[2] and died in 2001 of cancer, spending the last few years of his life in the United States for treatment.[6]

Defamations

An article[7] published in the 1990s, later denied by U.S. authorities and the article's source[8] cited an allegedly incomplete and unofficial draft known as "White Tiger Executive Summary"[9] that claimed that the U.S. National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) possessed information linking Hank to criminal activities. However, U.S. Attorney Janet Reno denied[10] the veracity of the report and pointed out that the alleged source, an employee of the agency, was no longer in active service. She also stated in a letter that "upon a preliminary review of the draft report, it was determined that the subject matter of the report was beyond the substantive expertise and area of responsibility of the NDIC, and the project was terminated".[8]

Carlos Hank appears in a prominent role as link between government and drug traffickers in Season 3 of the Netflix serial drama Narcos: Mexico. He is played by Manuel Uriza. According to experts in the field,[11] the questionable mention of Hank in the show relies on the fact that he is not alive, therefore, Netflix is able to use his name without the risk of receiving a defamation lawsuit. This was confirmed by the protagonist of the show, José María Yazpik who stated that "since Hank is already dead, his name can be used, while in other seasons, when faced with possible lawsuit, they opted to change the names".[12]

See also
  • 1969, México state election
  • 1954, México state election

References
  1. "Carlos Hank González, 73, Veteran Mexican Politician". The New York Times. 2001-08-13. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
  2. "Hank González, Carlos". Enciclopedia de México Book 7. Mexico City: Sabeca Internacional. 1998. 1-56409-024-8.
  3. Julia Reynolds. "The NAFTA Gang: Grupo Hank". Retrieved 2008-05-15.
  4. "Biografía de Carlos Hank González". CARLOS HANK GONZÁLEZ (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-03-14.
  5. Carlos Juárez. "Lideres Mexicanos El Valor de Conocerlos". Archived from the original on 2008-01-10. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
  6. Jose Martinez M. "Narco News Carlos Hank Gonzalez El fin de una era". Archived from the original on 2010-02-02. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
  7. "Washingtonpost.com: Prominent Mexican Family Viewed As Threat to U.S." www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2022-03-14.
  8. Allen, Michael (2000-04-11). "U.S. Disavows Report Claiming Mexico's Hank Family Is a Threat". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2022-03-14.
  9. Torreón, El Siglo de (2003-04-19). "Filtra informaciones falsas gobierno de EU". www.elsiglodetorreon.com.mx (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-03-14.
  10. "Reno: US Had No Right in Case". AP NEWS. Retrieved 2022-03-14.
  11. "Netflix contra la familia Hank (¿o será al revés?)". El Universal (in Spanish). 2021-11-09. Retrieved 2022-03-14.
  12. "El Amado Carrillo de Yazpik toma las riendas en la despedida de 'Narcos: México'". Los Angeles Times en Español (in Spanish). 2021-11-04. Retrieved 2022-03-14.
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