Date of Birth: February 24, 1925
Place of Birth: Kansas City, Kansas, U.S.
Date of Death: April 25, 2000
Place of Death: Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Ethnicity: Mexican
Ben Fernandez was an American politician, financial consultant, and special ambassador. A Republican, he served as a U.S. Special Ambassador to Paraguay, from August 1, 1973 to August 31, 1973, and a Member of the Executive Council of the Republican National Committee, in 1976.
He was a candidate for the Republican Party’s nomination for President of the United States in 1980, 1984, and 1988.
His parents were Mexican immigrants. They were in the U.S. illegally. Ben was married to Jacqueline Coon. He had three children.
Ben is one of several people of Hispanic ancestry to mount or to have mounted a major campaign for President of the United States. The others are:
*Bill Richardson (who sought the 2008 Democratic nomination; three of Richardson’s grandparents were Hispanic)
*Ted Cruz (2016; Republican; won 11 contests; Cruz’s father is Cuban)
*Marco Rubio (2016; Republican; won 3 contests; Rubio’s parents are Cuban)
*Julián Castro (who is seeking the 2020 Democratic nomination; Castro is of Mexican descent)
*Richard Ojeda (who is seeking the 2020 Democratic nomination; Ojeda’s paternal grandfather was Mexican)
Several prominent candidates for President of the United States can be considered Hispanic in a sense, though not by ancestry. They are:
*George W. Romney (who sought the 1968 Republican nomination, and whose name was placed in nomination for 1964’s; he was born in Mexico, of non-Hispanic descent)
*Pierre S. du Pont IV (who sought the 1988 Republican nomination; his maternal grandfather was born in Chile, of non-Hispanic descent)
*John McCain (who sought the 2000 Republican nomination, and who was the 2008 Republican nominee; he was born in Panama, of non-Hispanic descent)
*Mitt Romney (who sought the 2008 Republican nomination, and who was the 2012 Republican nominee; his father was born in Mexico, of non-Hispanic descent)