Ángel Rivero Méndez
Ángel Rivero Méndez | |
|---|---|
Captain Ángel Rivero Méndez | |
| Born | October 2, 1856 Trujillo Bajo, Carolina, Puerto Rico |
| Died | February 23, 1930 (aged 73) Cuevas, Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico |
| Buried | |
| Service | Spanish Army |
| Years of service | 1882–1898 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Commands | 3rd Company of the 12th Artillery Battalion at Fort San Cristóbal |
| Battles / wars | Spanish–American War |
| Awards | Cruz de la Orden de Mérito Militar 1ra Clase distinción Rojo (Order of Military Merit 1st Class) |
| Other work | Invented Kola Champagne |
| Signature | |
| 148th Governor-General of Puerto Rico | |
| In office 16 October – 18 October 1898 | |
| Monarch | Alfonso XIII |
| Regent | Maria Christina of Austria |
| Prime Minister | Práxedes Mateo Sagasta |
| Minister of Overseas | Vicente Romero Girón |
| Preceded by | Ricardo de Ortega y Diez |
| Succeeded by | Nelson A. Miles (as US governor) |
_Pillars_of_Hercules_Variant.svg){kind=link}
Ángel Rivero Méndez (October 2, 1856 – February 23, 1930) was a Puerto Rican soldier, writer, journalist and a businessman. Rivero Méndez was a Captain in the Spanish Army during the Spanish–American War and is credited with ordering the first shot against the United States in Puerto Rico in said conflict. After the war, he became a US Citizen and upon his retirement, he wrote Crónica de la guerra hispano-americana en Puerto Rico, a chronicle of the Spanish-American War in Puerto Rico. He is also credited with inventing a carbonated drink called Kola Champagne which is still sold today.