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Birth
Benito Juarez was born March 21 1806. He was born in San Pablo Guelatao, Oaxaca, Mexico. His parents were both Mesoamerican Indians, and they died when he was three. -
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Education
When he was 12 he lift his Uncle and joined his sister in Oaxaca where he began education. He first studied priesthood, but in 1829 he decided to go to Oaxaca Institute of arts and science to study law and science. In 1831 he earned his law degree and won his first public office, a seat on the municipal council. -
Career
He was a member of both the state and national legislatures. He became a judge in 1841. He served as governor of his state, a post that brought him into national prominence. -
Mariage
Impeccably honest, he never used public office for personal gain. His modest way of life reflected his simple tastes, even after his marriage in 1843 to Margarita Maza. An Oaxacan woman 17 years of age. -
Removed
The conservatives return to power in the elections of 1853. However, doomed any reform in the near term in Mexico. Many prominent liberals were exiled, including Juárez. -
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Living in New Orleans
From December 1853 until June 1855 he lived in New Orleans in semi-poverty. Occupying himself by exchanging ideas with other Mexicans and laying plans to return home. The opportunity to put his ideas into action finally came in 1855, when the liberals took control of the national government, and Juárez left the United States to join the new administration of Juan Álvarez as minister of justice and public instruction. -
Ledrdo Law
The liberals carried out three major reforms, all supported by Juárez. As minister of justice, he was responsible for the law bearing his name that abolished special courts for the clergy and military, for he felt that juridical equality would help promote social equality. In June 1856 the government published the Ley Lerdo, or the “Lerdo Law,” named for the minister of finance. -
Creating Middle Class
Although it forced the church to sell its property, it contained no threat of confiscation. By breaking up large landed estates, the government hoped that many Mexicans would be able to acquire property and thus create the middle class that it believed was essential for a strong and stable Mexico. The climax of the reform was the liberal constitution promulgated in February 1857 -
Becoming Vice President
In the same year, Ignacio Comonfort was elected president. The new Congress chose Juárez to preside over the Supreme Court. Therefore, according to the constitution, also to serve as the effective vice president of Mexico. -
Determining Career
The court position was critical in determining his future career. For when the conservatives revolted and ousted Comonfort in January 1858, Juárez had a legal claim to the presidency. Lacking troops to control the area around Mexico City, however, he retired to the eastern port city of Veracruz. -
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Elected President
In late 1860 the conservatives were faltering. Then in January of 1861 Juárez was able to return to Mexico City and was naturally elected president. He was, however, faced with many problems: the opposition’s forces still remained intact, the new Congress distrusted its president, and the treasury was nearly empty. As a solution to the latter problem, Juárez decided in July 1861 to suspend payment on all foreign debts for two years. England, Spain, and France decided to intervene to safeguard th -
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When Britain and Spain realized that Napoleon III intended to conquer Mexico and control it through a puppet, Archduke Maximilian of Austria, they withdrew their forces. The French suffered a major defeat at Puebla on May 5, 1862, but with reinforcements they were able to occupy Mexico City in June 1863, and Maximilian soon arrived to take control of the government. -
Leaving the capital
Forced again to leave the capital, Juarez kept the government and himself alive by a long series of retreats. They ended only at El Paso del Norte (later named Juárez) at the Mexican-U.S. border. Early in 1867, as a result of continued Mexican resistance, increased U.S. pressure, and criticism at home, Napoleon decided to withdraw his troops. Soon afterward Mexican forces captured Maximilian and executed him. -
Biggest mistake
Juarez then made what is called the biggest mistake in his political career. In August of 1867 shortly after he returned to Mexico City, he issued a call for national elections and for a referendum on whether Congress should make five amendments to the constitution. The public’s opinion did not object to the president’s running for reelection, but the constitutional changes implied immediate and violent reaction in many quarters, including those showing sorrow for Juárez. -
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Illness and Death
n October of 1870, Juarez suffered from a stroke, and three months later his wife passed away. He decided he would run again in 1871, after a hard campaign the was reelected but many of his countrymen didn’t want to accept the result as final and took up arms against him. In his last few months he tried to restore the peace but then in 1872, died of a heart attack. was buried in the Pantheon of San Fernando in Mexico City.
