thumb|Carlos Hank González (right), with [[Carmen Romano, in 1980]]
Carlos Hank González (August 27, 1927–August 11, 2001), nicknamed El Profesor ("The Professor"), was a Mexican politician and businessman. Originally a teacher, he was an entrepreneur who built political contacts along with businesses, leading to various government and political positions at the state (State of Mexico) and national level. He was prevented from seeking the presidency due to laws requiring both parents to be Mexicans by birth, whereas his father was German.
A leaked report from the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) noted that Hank González's alleged involvement in drug trafficking and money laundering at one time posed "a significant criminal threat to the United States." The NDIC report also alleged Hank Gonzalez committed political corruption, tax evasion, bribery and vote-buying. US Attorney General Janet Reno clarified that the report was a draft "beyond the substantive expertise and area of responsibility of the NDIC", and that its release was unauthorized.
Biography
Carlos Hank González was born in Santiago Tianguistenco in the State of Mexico. His father, Jorge Hank Weber, was a German émigré who married a Mexican woman (thus, Hank wasn't eligible to be president since it was required under law to be Mexican-born as well his parents, until bills were amended in 1993). Hank graduated from the Escuela Nacional de Toluca as a primary education teacher and from the Normal Superior (Teacher's College) de México as a professor of history and biology. From 1947 to 1951 he was a teacher at the Secundaria Federal de Atlacomulco. To supplement his income, he sold candy on the side. He grew and exchanged his small businesses into larger ones, along the way adding names of prominent politicians to his list of contacts. He founded a business empire of banking and transportation interests. In 1999, Forbes estimated his wealth at about US$1.3 billion.
He married Guadalupe Rhon, with whom he had five children, 3 boys and 2 girls. He is the father of Carlos Hank Rhon, Cuauhtemoc Hank Rhon, and Jorge Hank Rhon
Career
Hank González's political career began when he moved from Atlacomulco to Toluca to take charge of the State of Mexico's Departmento de Escuelas Secundarias y Profesionales (Department of Professional and Secondary Schools) as well as the Oficina de Juntas de Mejoramiento Moral, Cívico y Material (Office of Committees for Moral, Civic and Material Improvement) between 1952 and 1953. The following year he was in charge of the treasury for the municipality of Toluca. From 1955 to 1957 he was the president of the ayuntamiento of Toluca. However, at the height of his political career, he served as the governor of the State of Mexico from 1969 to 1975 and was appointed regent of Mexico City in 1976. Federally, he served as Secretary of Tourism from 1988 to 1990 when he was then named as Secretary of Agriculture and Hydraulic Resources. He began as chief of the Delegación del Sector Popular at district, state and national conventions of the PRI, then was a delegate for the party for the states of Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche and Quintana Roo. He worked his way up to be a member of the Comisión Pólitica del Comité Ejecutivo Nacional, advising presidents of the party.
Criminal allegations
Carlos Hank Gonzalez was accused of having ties to drug traffickers such as Félix Gallardo, the Arellano brothers, and Mayo Zambada. He and his group were also accused of having control over American banks, investment companies, casinos for laundering money, drug trafficking with cartels, and other illegal activities. According to a report by the U.S. National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) nicknamed Operation White Tiger, Hank González's involvement in drug trafficking and money laundering posed "a significant criminal threat to the United States." While U.S. law enforcement officials had spent years investigating Carlos Hank Gonzalez and his sons Carlos Hank Rhon and Jorge Hank Rhon, the assessment by several agencies marked the first time that all three had been alleged direct links to the operations of major Mexican drug organizations. The report drew on information from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Customs Service, CIA, Interpol and others, that was later denied. in an interview recovered by the World Policy Institute, described Carlos Hank as the "primary intermediary between the multinational drug trafficking enterprises and the Mexican political system". The lawsuit forced US authorities, particularly Attorney General Janet Reno, to publicly recognize the report was a leaked draft of an executive summary the questionable mention of Hank in the show relies on the fact that he is not alive, therefore, Netflix is able to use his name without the risk of receiving a defamation lawsuit. This was confirmed by lead actor José María Yazpik who stated that "since Hank is already dead, his name can be used, while in other seasons, when faced with possible lawsuit, they opted to change the names".