Francisco Luis Urquizo

Francisco L. Urquizo
General Francisco L. Urquizo Benavides
Secretary of National Defense
In office
1 September 1945  30 November 1946
PresidentManuel Ávila Camacho
Preceded byLázaro Cárdenas
Succeeded byGilberto R. Limón
Secretary of War and Navy
In office
17 September 1919  20 May 1920
PresidentVenustiano Carranza
Preceded byJuan José Ríos
Succeeded byPlutarco Elías Calles
Personal details
Born(1891-06-21)June 21, 1891
San Pedro de las Colonias, Coahuila
Died(1969-04-06)April 6, 1969 (aged 77)
Mexico City
Awards
Military service
AllegianceMexico (antireeleccionista revolutionary forces)
Branch/serviceLiberation Army of the South 1911, Federal Army 1912-1913, Constitutional Army 1913-1920, Mexican Army 1920, 1934-1969
Years of service1911-1920, 1934-1969
Rank General
CommandsSecretariat of National Defence
Battles/warsMexican Revolution:
  • Attack on San Pedro de las Colonias
  • Ten Tragic Days
  • Battle of Candela
  • Battle of Torreon
  • Taking of Monterrey
  • Fights of Apizaco, Rinconada and Aljibes
  • Tlaxcalantongo

Francisco Luis Urquizo Benavides (21 June 1891 in San Pedro de las Colonias, Coahuila – 6 April 1969 in Mexico City) was a Mexican soldier, writer and historian who fought in the Mexican Revolution, rose to the rank of major general, and served as Secretary of National Defense from September 1945 to November 1946. He was also one of the most significant authors in the genre of historical fiction known as the "novela revolucionaria," a term used to describe works set during the Mexican Revolution. Tropa vieja, which is considered his major narrative work, earned him the sobriquet "novelist of the soldier."

His son, Juan Manuel Urquizo Pérez de Tejada, has described Urquizo as "at once a key protagonist of and witness of the Revolution, who left an invaluable testimony in writing, rising to the category of chronicler of the act of revolution."