Joseph Menendez

    

Joseph Menendez
Member of the United Commonwealth House of Representatives from Cuba's 13th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2023
Preceded by	Donald Williams
Member of the New Charleston City Council for the 10th Ward
In office January 2, 2017 – January 3, 2023
Personal details
Born	(1985-07-15) July 15, 1985 New Charleston, Cuba, Antilles
Political party	Civic Democratic
Spouse(s)	Sara Murphy (m. 2016)
Relatives	Robert Menendez (father)
Education	University of New Charleston (JD)
Military service
Allegiance	Antilles
Branch/service	Antillean Marine Corps
Years of service	2004–present
Unit	Marine Corps Reserve

Joseph Randall Menendez (born July 15, 1985) is an Antillean community organizer, labor rights activist, and politician serving as a member of the United Commonwealth House of Representatives for Cuba's 13th congressional district since 2023 and previously served as a member of the New Charleston City Coucnil for the 10th Ward between 2017 and 2023. He is the son of Cuba Secretary of State Robert Menendez and is a member of the Civic Democratic Party and is a member of the party's progressive wing, backing socially and economically progressive policies from increasing wages to voting rights and is a member of the Antillean independence movement. He is an officer of the United Commonwealth Marine Corps and has been part of the marine corps since 2004, serving in the reserve.

Early life and education

Joseph Menendez was born and raised in New Charleston, Cuba on 15 July 1985. He is the son of Robert Menendez, current secretary of state of Cuba, and Mariana Menendez. He is of Hispanic descent and his family moved to New Charleston in the 1980s after the damage to the city from the Cuban insurgency had been fully rebuilt and finished. During the insurgency, the Menedez family fled the city before the battle for the city in 1964. He attended Hudson Valley High School and graduated in 2003 and would later attend the University of New Charleston in 2004. That same year, he joined the United Commonwealth Marine Corps reserve to fufil the service requirements to vote in federal elections, a law that he opposes and backs its abolition. He joined the reserve in order to fulfill the service requirements and to continue his education without active military deployment interfering with it. He also joined to get the scholarship benefits that the marines and the wider armed forces officer, to make his education more affordable for his both himself and to alleviate the cost of tuition on his family. While in college, Menendez completed the Marine Naval Reserve Officers' Training Corps (NROTC) and was commissioned as a second lieutenant of the Marine Corps Reserve upon graduating.

U.C. House of Representatives

Caucus memberships

• Congressional Progressive Coalition
• Congressional Hispanic Caucus

See also

• List of Hispanic and Latino Antilleans in the United Commonwealth National Assembly