Jesús González Ortega

He continued to champion his claim to the presidency, leading to his arrest in 1867 and shortly afterward, his supporter José María Patoni was kidnapped and murdered by General Benigno Canto, leading to rumors and an allegation from Canto himself that he was acting upon orders from Minister of War Ignacio Mejía, an accusation which the government vehemently denied.

[1] González Ortega gave up his claim, was pardoned the year afterward and no longer played any role in public life.

Ortega was born on January 20, 1822, in San Mateo, in Valparaíso, Zacatecas, he moved his residence to the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, where he began his law studies, and for family reasons could not conclude.

[2] Although González Ortega was not a career soldier, he was head of the army of President Juarez in 1860 and lead them to victory in the decisive battle of Calpulalpan.

In March 1861, he was appointed Minister of War, but due to differences with some cabinet members, he resigned but remained in command of the division of Zacatecas.

González Ortega defended himself, and published an official letter from December 1864 in which he had been given permission to leave his post indefinitely, as long as he continued to help the war effort.

He claimed that he had, and that the government of Juarez had ignored his letter asking for permission to recruit volunteers, and that he was currently entangled in a lawsuit in the United States.

[6] As the Second Mexican Empire collapsed in 1866, the departing French urged Maximilian to abdicate, and considered forming a new republican government, friendly to France and led by González Ortega.