Benito Juárez

Benito Juárez
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Name	Benito Juárez
Caption	Portrait of Benito Juárez
Order	26th
Office	President of Mexico
Term start	January 15, 1858
Term end	July 18, 1872
Vicepresident	Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada
Predecessor	Ignacio Comonfort
Successor	Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada
Birth date	March 21, 1806
Birth place	San Pablo Guelatao, Oaxaca, New Spain
Death date	July 18, 1872 (aged 66)
Death place	National Palace, Mexico City, Mexico
Party	Liberal Party
Spouse	Margarita Maza
Children	12
Profession	Lawyer, Judge

Benito Juárez was a Mexican liberal lawyer and statesman who served as the 26th president of Mexico from 1858 until his death in 1872. He led the nation during pivotal conflicts including the War of the Reform and the Second French intervention in Mexico, becoming a enduring symbol of Mexican nationalism and resistance to foreign domination. His tenure is most noted for the sweeping liberal reforms known as La Reforma, which sought to establish a modern, secular state and diminish the power of the Catholic Church in Mexico and the Mexican Army.

Early life and education

Born in the village of San Pablo Guelatao in the Sierra Juárez of Oaxaca, he was a full-blooded Zapotec orphan who spoke only his indigenous language until his youth. He moved to the city of Oaxaca to work as a domestic servant, where he was aided by Antonio Salanueva, a lay Franciscan who arranged for his education. He studied law at the Institute of Sciences and Arts of Oaxaca, coming under the intellectual influence of liberal thinkers and graduating in 1834. He began his career as a lawyer and civil law notary, often defending poor indigenous communities, before entering local politics as a member of the Oaxaca City Council.

Political career and rise to presidency

His political ascent was rapid, serving as a local deputy, a judge, and eventually as Governor of Oaxaca from 1847 to 1852, where he earned a reputation for integrity and fiscal prudence. During the dictatorship of Antonio López de Santa Anna, he was exiled to New Orleans, where he collaborated with other liberal exiles like Melchor Ocampo and Ponciano Arriaga. Following the Plan of Ayutla that ousted Santa Anna, he returned and was appointed Secretary of Justice and Public Instruction under President Juan Álvarez, where he drafted the pivotal Juárez Law. He later became president of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation under President Ignacio Comonfort, a position that constitutionally made him next in line for the presidency.

La Reforma and the War of the Reform

Upon the resignation of Comonfort following the Plan of Tacubaya, he assumed the presidency in 1858, precipitating the three-year War of the Reform against the Conservative forces. His government, based first in Veracruz, issued a series of radical decrees that formed the core of La Reforma, including the Lerdo law and the Iglesias law. These laws nationalized church property, established civil marriage, and separated church and state. The conflict culminated in the liberal victory at the Battle of Calpulalpan in 1860, led by General Jesús González Ortega, allowing his government to return to Mexico City.

French intervention and Second Mexican Empire

Facing a financial crisis, his government suspended foreign debt payments, prompting Napoleon III of France to launch the Second French intervention in Mexico in alliance with Mexican conservatives and Spanish and British forces. After the defeat at the Battle of Puebla and a subsequent long siege, his government was forced into a nomadic existence, directing resistance from the north while French forces installed Maximilian I as emperor. With the conclusion of the American Civil War, the United States began applying diplomatic pressure under the Monroe Doctrine and providing arms, aiding the republican forces led by generals like Porfirio Díaz and Mariano Escobedo in ultimately defeating the Second Mexican Empire and executing Maximilian in 1867.

Later presidency and death

Returning to the capital, he was re-elected president, focusing on national reconstruction, promoting railroads, and public education. His later terms were marked by increased political opposition and rebellions, including one led by his former ally Porfirio Díaz under the Plan of La Noria. He won the 1871 election against Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada and Díaz, but his final year was consumed by political instability. He suffered a heart attack and died in the National Palace in Mexico City in 1872, with Lerdo de Tejada succeeding him to complete the term.

Legacy and honors

Widely revered as "Benemérito de las Américas" ("Meritorious of the Americas"), he is a foundational figure in Mexican history, symbolizing the defense of national sovereignty, liberalism, and the rule of law. His famous quote, "Entre los individuos, como entre las naciones, el respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz" ("Among individuals, as among nations, respect for the rights of others is peace"), is inscribed on the coat of arms of Oaxaca. His legacy is commemorated in countless statues, the naming of cities like Ciudad Juárez, and his image appears on the Mexican twenty-peso bill and in the Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico City. The anniversary of his birth, March 21, is a national civic holiday in Mexico.

Category:Presidents of Mexico Category:Mexican lawyers Category:People from Oaxaca