Profile Text
Mendez in 2013, photo by kathclick /Bigstock.com
Birth Name: Antonio Joseph Mendez
Date of Birth: November 15, 1940
Place of Birth: Eureka, Nevada, U.S.
Date of Death: January 19, 2019
Place of Death: Frederick, Maryland, U.S.
Ethnicity: * father – Mexican [African, Indigenous, Spanish] * mother – Italian (one quarter), as well as Dutch, English, French, Irish, Scottish, some Cornish, remote Belgian/Flemish, remote Welsh
Tony Mendez was an American CIA technical operations officer, who specialized in support of clandestine and covert CIA operations. He is known for his role in the Canadian Caper, during the Iran hostage crisis in 1979. He was played, during this time, by Ben Affleck in the film Argo (2012).
His father, John George Mendez, was of Mexican [African, Indigenous, Spanish] descent. His mother, Neva June (Tognoni), was of one quarter Italian, as well as Dutch, English, French, Irish, Scottish, some Cornish, remote Belgian [Flemish], and remote Welsh, ancestry.
Tony’s patrilineal line can be traced back to his fourth great-grandfather, Teodoro Gómez.
Tony’s paternal grandfather was José María “Joseph” Méndez Navarro (the son of Andrés Gómez López and María Inocencia Navarro Guzmán). José was from Jalisco, Mexico. Andrés was the son of José Simón Gómez Contreras and María San Juana López Magallón. Inocencia was the daughter of Francisco Navarro Cervantes and María Antonia de Jesús Guzmán Partida.
Tony’s paternal grandmother was Lucía S. Serrato Villalobos (the daughter of José Julián Nicanor del Socorro Serrato Franco and Anita Trinidad Manuela Concepción Villalobos). Lucía was from Guanajuato, Mexico. José was the son of Tomás Serrato Guerrero and María Ramona Franco. Anita was the daughter of Antonio Villalobos and Macaria Martínez.
Tony’s maternal grandfather was Joseph Russell Tognoni (the son of Giuseppe Cristoforo “Joseph Christopher” Tognoni and Myrtle Jesse Jaques). Tony’s grandfather Joseph was born in Nevada. Giuseppe was born in Lombardia, Italy, the son of Giacomo Tognoni and Madalena Pavachini. Myrtle was the daughter of Ernest Jesse Jaques and Mariah H. Usher.
Tony’s maternal grandmother was Ina Belle Cates (the daughter of Nelson Louis Cates and Emma Augusta Donnelly). Ina was born in Colorado. Nelson was the son of William Cates and Eliza Ann Nordyke. Emma was the daughter of Michael Reed and Marietta F. Smith.
Sources: Death record of Tony’s father – https://familysearch.org
Death record of Tony’s paternal grandmother, Lucía S. Serrato Villalobos – https://familysearch.org
Baptismal record of Tony’s paternal great-grandfather, José Julián Nicanor del Socorro Serrato Franco – https://familysearch.org
Death record of Tony’s paternal great-great-grandfather, Tomás Serrato Guerrero – https://familysearch.org
Genealogy of Tony’s mother – http://www.findagrave.com