Benito Juárez Dies in Office — End of Reform Era

Benito Juárez, Mexico's greatest 19th-century statesman and first indigenous president, died of angina pectoris on July 18, 1872 while still in office. Born a Zapotec Oaxacan who didn't speak Spanish until age 12, Juárez rose through law to become Mexico's defining liberal figure — he withstood the French intervention, executed Maximilian, and gave Mexico its famous aphorism: 'El respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz.' His death opened competition between Lerdo de Tejada and Porfirio Díaz.