35 Facts About Ben Fernandez

Benjamin Fernandez was an American politician, financial consultant and special ambassador.

Ben Fernandez ran for President of the United States three times, seriously in 1980 and with more perfunctory campaigns in 1984 and 1988, making him America's first major-party presidential contender of Hispanic origin.

Ben Fernandez served in World War II, then began a successful business career.

Ben Fernandez began to get involved with politics in the late 1960s, co-founding the Republican National Hispanic Council and serving as a fundraiser for Republican candidates starting with President Richard Nixon in 1972.

Benjamin Fernandez was born in the railroad yards of Kansas City, Kansas, in a converted railroad boxcar.

Ben Fernandez's parents were illiterate Mexican migrants who were in the US illegally seeking work.

Ben Fernandez enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II and served in the military for three years.

Ben Fernandez enrolled at the University of Redlands in Redlands, California, and found a job as a waiter and "supervisor of youngsters" at the local YMCA, paying his own way through college.

Ben Fernandez graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics.

Ben Fernandez worked at General Electric during the day and attended night school at the Graduate School of Business of New York University.

Ben Fernandez received a Master of Business Administration degree in Foreign Trade and Marketing.

From 1960 through 1976, Ben Fernandez was asked to testify over 500 times under oath before federal and state agencies on his specialties.

Ben Fernandez received national acclaim for his innovation in business and was recognized by the United States Department of Commerce for his work with the National Economic Development Association, a non-profit corporation Fernandez founded to foster the free enterprise system among Spanish-speaking Americans.

Ben Fernandez was very active within Republican circles and served in multiple political positions throughout the Nixon and Reagan administrations.

Ben Fernandez served as a member of the Executive Council of the Republican National Committee in 1976.

Ben Fernandez was an early and adamant supporter of Hispanic involvement within the GOP.

In 1967, Ben Fernandez was one of five World War II veterans who came together in Washington, DC, to discuss Hispanic involvement in American Politics.

Ben Fernandez co-founded the Republican National Hispanic Council and was elected as its first national chairman.

President Ford relied heavily on Ben Fernandez to raise money and rally support for him in the Spanish-speaking community.

When President Ford's director of the Office of Minority Business Enterprise, Alex Armendaris was accused of misconduct, Ben Fernandez allegedly made a personal phone call to Ford urging him not to fire Armendaris.

Ben Fernandez had previously teamed up with Armendaris to raise over $400,000 for Richard Nixon.

Ben Fernandez stated that he was never promised any favors for a $25,000 contribution he had made.

Ben Fernandez denied that he had attempted to help the Nixon administration's political backers by speeding up the approval of contracts by the Office of Minority Business.

Ben Fernandez was exonerated by the Senate Watergate committee of any wrongdoing.

In October 1978, Ben Fernandez announced his candidacy for the Republican Party's nomination for President at the National Press Club in Washington, DC He was the first major-party presidential contender of Hispanic origin.

Ben Fernandez received 25,520 votes nationally, enough to win thirty delegates at the Republican nominating convention.

Ben Fernandez's campaign focused heavily on the first primary in the nation in Puerto Rico, believing that the Hispanic vote would go to a fellow Hispanic.

Ben Fernandez's campaign manager, David Miller, later admitted that the Puerto Rico strategy was a failure, as the early voting states of New Hampshire and Iowa completely overshadowed the Puerto Rico primary.

Ben Fernandez welcomed Reagan to Texas during his general election campaign, helping him make the pitch for the sought-after Mexican-American vote.

In 1984, Ben Fernandez attempted a second, largely ceremonial run for the Presidency.

Ben Fernandez kept to the New Hampshire primary, along with perennial candidate Harold Stassen.

Ben Fernandez ran one last campaign on a similar scale in 1988.

Ben Fernandez remarried later in life to Jacqueline Coon and they lived in Calabasas, California.

Ben Fernandez then resided in Las Vegas, Nevada, until his death.

Ben Fernandez continued his work professionally and politically even after his retirement, often traveling throughout the country as a consulting economist.