Benito Juárez Biography

Benito Pablo Juárez García (Spanish: [beˈnito ˈpaβlo ˈxwaɾes gaɾˈsi.a] (About this soundlisten); 21
March 1806 – 18 July 1872)[1][2] was a Mexican lawyer and politician, who served as the 26th
president of Mexico from 1858 until his death in 1872. He was the first president of Mexico who
was of indigenous origin. Born in Oaxaca to a poor Zapotec rural family and orphaned young, he
moved to Oaxaca City at the age of 12 to go to school. He was aided by a lay Franciscan, and
enrolled in seminary, later studying law at Institute of Sciences and Arts and becoming a lawyer.
After being appointed as a judge, in his 30s he married Margarita Maza, a socially prominent
woman of Oaxaca City.[3] From his years in college, he was active in politics. Appointed as head
justice of the nation's Supreme Court, Juárez identified primarily as a Liberal politician. In his life,
he wrote briefly about his indigenous heritage.[4]

When moderate liberal President Ignacio Comonfort was forced to resign by the Conservatives in
1858, Juárez, as head of the Supreme Court, assumed the presidency and the two governments
competed. His succession was codified in the Constitution of 1857 but he survived in internal exile
for a period. He weathered the War of the Reform (1858–60), a civil war between the Liberals and
the Conservatives, and the French invasion (1861–1867), which was supported by Conservative
monarchists. Never relinquishing office, although forced into exile to areas of Mexico not
controlled by the French, Juárez tied Liberalism to Mexican nationalism. He asserted his leadership
as the legitimate head of the Mexican state, rather than Emperor Maximilian, whom the French
had installed.

When the French-backed Second Mexican Empire fell in 1867, the Mexican Republic with Juárez as
president regained full power.[5][6][7] For his success in ousting the European incursion, Latin
Americans considered Juárez's tenure as a time of a "second struggle for independence, a second
defeat for the European powers, and a second reversal of the Conquest."[8]

Juárez is revered in Mexico as "a preeminent symbol of Mexican nationalism and resistance to
foreign intervention."[9][10] He understood the importance of a working relationship with the
United States, and secured its recognition for his government during the War of the Reform. He
held fast to particular principles, including the supremacy of civil power over the Catholic Church
and part of the military; respect for law; and the de-personalization of political life.[11] Juárez
sought to strengthen the national government, asserting its central power over the states, a
position that both radical and provincial liberals opposed.[12]

After his death, the city and state of Oaxaca added "de Juarez" to their formal names in his honor,
and numerous other places and institutions were named for him. His birthday (March 21) is
celebrated as a national public and patriotic holiday in Mexico. He is the only individual Mexican to
be so honored.