Benito Pablo Juárez García
Benito Pablo Juárez García (1872) was a Zapotec Amerindian who served five terms (1858-1861 as interim), (1861-1865), (1865-1867), (1867-1871), and (1871-1872), as President of Mexico. For resisting the French occupation, overthrowing the Empire, and restoring the Republic, as well as for his efforts to modernize the country, Juárez is often regarded as Mexico's greatest and most beloved leader. Juárez gained power only after receiving considerable US support in money and weapons, provided because the Second Empire was not amenable to US interests. As the first Mexican leader who did not have a military background, Benito Juárez was also the first full-blooded indigenous national to serve as President of Mexico and to lead a country in the Western Hemisphere in over 300 years.