Juan Sánchez-Navarro y Peón

Juan Sánchez-Navarro y Peón (April 24, 1913 – February 12, 2006) was a Mexican businessman, lawyer, philosopher, philanthropist, journalist and professor. During his lifetime, he led various national business organizations and was a main co-founder of Mexico's National Action Party PAN. Though he himself not a PAN affiliate during his lifetime, he believed in the essential importance of democracy by means of a bi-partisan system that could serve as a contrast to then Mexico's ruling political party PRI (thus his involvement PAN in its inception). Sanchez-Navarro would years later be known as the moral conscience and the single most important ideological figure in Mexico's booming business community.

Juan Sánchez-Navarro was born in downtown Mexico City, descendant of the influential Sánchez-Navarro family. He studied law and philosophy in the National Autonomous University of Mexico eventually becoming a professor there for more than 50 years. At some point he was also a teaching assistant to philosopher Antonio Caso.

In addition to his teaching duties, in 1938 Sánchez-Navarro became a manager at Cervecería Central which then belonged to Cervecería Cuauhtémoc. In 1939 he co-founded the National Action Party (PAN) with Manuel Gómez Morín and Efraín González Luna. In 1942 he was offered a job at then small competitor Cervecería Modelo (now makers of Corona,Pacifico,Victoria amongst other beer brands) by the company's founder Pablo Diez, after what was a fair but staunch negotiation with Don Pablo over beer concession rights at a bullfighting arena. He accepted the new job and eventually would become director and vicepresident of the board of Grupo Modelo as well as a controlling shareholder, from 1960 forward. Following the death of Don Pablo, Sanchez-Navarro became the face of the company. Sánchez-Navarro would be active and preside in the many employers' organizations he helped establish in Mexico. These include CANACINTRA, CONCANACO, CONCAMIN, CCE, CEESP, CEMAI among others. He was a notable supporter of Vicente Fox' Presidential campaign in 2000.

He died in Mexico City at the age of 92, where he was buried in the French cemetery.

Works

• Los orígenes de la idea de justicia. ("On the origins of the concept of Justice");
• El concepto cristiano de la propiedad. ("The Christian idea of property");
• La cuestión del salario justo. ("The question of the fair salary");
• Principios básicos para el sano desarrollo económico. ("Basic principles for a healthy economic development");
• El empresariado mexicano en el desarrollo económico. ("The Mexican business community and their role in economic development")[1]

References

• Zuñiga, Juan Antonio; Gonzalez G., Susana (2006-02-13). "Sánchez Navarro abarcó varias épocas de México desde la visión empresarial." (in Spanish). La Jornada. http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2006/02/13/027n1eco.php. Retrieved 2006-12-08. 
• "Murió el empresario Juan Sánchez Navarro" (in Spanish). La Crónica. 2006-02-12. http://www.cronica.com.mx/nota.php?id_nota=225797. Retrieved 2006-12-08. 
• "Jaque mate/Sánchez Navarro" (in Spanish). El Siglo de Torreon. 2003-02-17. http://www.elsiglodetorreon.com.mx/noticia/20600.jaque-mate-sanchez-navarro.html. Retrieved 2009-10-08.