Voting Station

Gregorio Cortez

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Outlaw

The Resume

    (June 22, 1875-February 28, 1916)
    Born in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico
    Tenant maize farmer
    Birth name was Gregorio Cortez Lira
    Killed two sheriffs and eluded the Texas Rangers for thirteen days (June 14 to June 22, 1901)
    Memorialized in 'El Corrido de Gregorio Cortez' (The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez)
    Portrayed by Edward James Olmos

Why he might be annoying:

    His first wife divorced him and alleged that he had been abusive.
    He married his second wife while in jail.
    He was accused of murdering two sheriffs over accusations of horse theft.
    He became the target of the largest manhunt in U.S. history.
    His biographer claims that horse theft charges against him weren't as unfounded as myth suggests and that he and his family had actively engaged in the practice.
    His cause of death of Cortez is contested (there are assumptions of natural causes, heart attack, pneumonia, and possible poisoning).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He's the namesake for the dad in the Spy Kids movies.
    The altercation between him and the sheriffs began over a mistranslation.
    His brother was fatally wounded during the initial shootout.
    A mob of 300 men tried to lynch him after his arrest.
    Efforts to have him pardoned began with his incarceration and finally succeeded in 1913 when Governor Oscar Colquitt issued him a conditional pardon the same year.
    He spent his later years in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, and joined the losing Huertist forces of the Mexican Revolution.
    He was one of the earliest legal cause celebre cases of the 20th century, attracting attention throughout the United States.
    He became a folk hero to the border communities of the United States and Mexico.
    He said during his trial: 'Self defense is allowed to any man. It is in your own law, and by your own law do I defend myself.'

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 7 Votes: 28.57% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying