José Menéndez

José María Menéndez Menéndez (1846 - 1918) Spanish businessman based in Argentina and Chilean Patagonia. He was the initiator of large companies that remain to this day. Founder of the renowned Family Behety Menéndez.

Biography

José María Menéndez Menéndez was born in Santo Domingo de Miranda (Avilés), Spain, on November 2, 1846. Second child of seven, the marriage of Manuel Menéndez Cañedo and Alvarez, and María Menéndez Granda, peasants of modest means. The field work prevented him from receiving formal education, but managed to acquire the rudiments of literacy and numeracy, thanks to his maternal uncle Joseph who was a teacher. Being very young he left his homeland in search of opportunity in America, after passing through the island of Cuba, until finally settling in Argentina.

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An unspecified day in 1866 José Menéndez Menéndez arrived in Buenos Aires. Was employed as a bookkeeper in signatures Corti Riva y Cia. and then Etchart and Co. firm., jobs that will familiarize you with the shipping business, a sector that years later would develop in Patagonia, where renowned amassing fortune as a merchant, businessman and cattle shipping.

Family

On March 19, 1873 he married a cultured and well educated girl, María Behety Chapital, born on May 24, 1848 in Montevideo, the daughter of the French Basque marriage and Maria Felix Behety Chapital. The wedding was held at the Church of La Merced, in Buenos Aires, a city where the family settled for a while. Marriage, which was always seen as exemplary, had nine children:

*Alexander and Josephine, born in Buenos Aires;
*Jose, Julio and Maria, born in Punta Arenas Chile, María infant died before the year of pulmonia, escaping of the military revolt in Punta Arenas known as «Mutiny of the Gunners» (1877).

The city suffered damage and committed acts of barbarism. Among the acts committed, we remember the loss of a leg to gangrene Maria Behety because of a wound by a stray bullet in the forest that is the doctor amputated the tip Arenas who fled with them.

*Mary (II), Alfonso, Charles and Herminia, born in Punta Arenas.Josephine married businessman and associate of Jose Menendez, 

Maurice Braun, Charles, lawyer, married to Cristina García González Bonorino. Mary married businessman Francisco Campos Torreblanca.

In Patagonia

In 1874 José Menéndez moved to Punta Arenas, Patagonia, who later became his residence and base of their core business. In 1876, he began the business of sheep, carrying sheep from the Falkland Islands, under the company "José Menéndez and Co." and the Estancia San Gregorio, now historic site of the Chilean commune, under the same name.

In September 1892 arrived in Punta Arenas steam "Amadeo", the first of the ships of their property, on its maiden voyage carrying bricks to build the family home. The "Amadeus" has been declared a National Monument by the Chilean Government, and his helmet is seen on the beaches of the bay of San Gregorio (Chile), on the Strait of Magellan.

In 1894 José Menéndez traveled with the Salesian Father Jose Maria Beauvoir land south of the Rio Grande, and was interested in the Argentine territory. Later, in 1896, founded the First Estancia of Argentinaof 105,169 acres that he bought to the Argentinian Government. Currently Estancia José Menéndez, located 17 km. southwest of the Rio Grande. Jose Menendez founded a new branch of his business house in the city of Rio Gallegos, and shortly thereafter in Santa Cruz.

In 1893 he participated in the first group of shareholders of the Sociedad Esxplotadora de Tierra del Fuego, where he owned 200 shares and a share of over 15%. The Society set up a cattle empire that spanned much of Patagonia. Their main remnant is the Cold Storage Plant of Bories, located in Puerto Bories, now converted into the hotel The Singular Patagonia, by descendants of the fourth and fifth generation.

In Punta Arenas, opened many of the houses and buildings required for successful growth, including a theater.

Later, in 1897, opened a second venture livestock, fruit of the success he had obtained in Estancia "Primera Argentina", created the "Second Argentina". Currently Estancia María Behety, located 15 km. northwest of the city of Rio Grande, where in 1935 he built the shearing shed still has is still "the largest of the world".

In 1903, bought land adjacent to Gregory Bay on the Strait of Magallanes. That way, he owned 430,000 hectares, only in Tierra del Fuego.

After becoming and seen as one of the greatest landowners then began new business, among many others, bought the mine Loreto, to Agustin Ross, created the fat-rendering and manufacturing of packaged meat in the great factory of Jose Menendez, base of the "Sociedad Explotadora de Tierra del Fuego", increased its maritime fleet well, started a stimulus for the creation of roads and highways in the south organized banks and colonized vast southern regions.

In 1907, due to the financial crisis was associated with Mauricio Braun, until then its main competitor and son, when he married Josefina Menéndez Behety.

In 1910 he founded the Company and Commercial Cattle Behety Menendez, based in Punta Arenas. And then he formed the company with Import and Export of Patagonia. Its activities included convenience stores, cattle farms and shipping fleet. In the 60's, cleared most of the assets of the society and gave impetus to the chain of supermarkets THE ANONYMOUS over one hundred branches throughout Patagonia and central Argentina province of Buenos Aires, albeit late twentieth century, the stock package focused on the heirs of the Braun family, this employer of Argentina has its origins in the commercial vision of José Menéndez and Mauricio Braun.

Death

José Menéndez died on April 24, 1918, at age 71 in Buenos Aires, where he owned residence as in Punta Arenas. He was buried in the cemetery in Punta Arenas, a place that saw him grow as a pioneer of economic development patagónico.2

References

• MATEO MARTINIC
• Martinic Beros, Mateo. Menéndez y Braun, prohombres patagónicos. Edition of Universidad de Magallanes. pp. 433. Consulted on November 2,2010.

External Links

• www.familias-argentinas.com.ar
• www.cybercafedelsur.cl
• surdelsurpatagonia.com
• Estancia María Behety-Argentina
• Estancia San Gregorio-Chile
• The Singular Hotels. His descendants dedicate this hotel as a way to honor their ancestor, pioneer of Patagonia.