Negrete was born in the city of Guanajuato and had two brothers and three sisters; his father was a Mexican Army Colonel who fought with the Revolutionary faction called Northern Division ("División del Norte"); however, around 1920, he quit his military career and moved with his family to Mexico City. There he found a job as a math teacher in several institutions, such as the German College "Alexander Von Humboldt"; there his sons David and Jorge studied until middle school, and as a result, they became fluent in the German language. Jorge learned other languages at the "Heroico Colegio Militar" (military academy of Mexico): English, French, and Italian. From an early age, Negrete demonstrated great brilliance and rapidly became a prominent student in the eyes of his teachers.