Francisco Ignacio Madero Gonzalez

Francisco I. Madero was a reformist politician and writer who led the Mexican Revolution against the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz. He was born into a wealthy landowning family and received education in Mexico, the United States, and France. He became interested in democracy and social justice and wrote a book in 1908 that criticized Díaz's regime and called for free elections. He ran for president in 1910 as the leader of the Antireelectionist Party, but was arrested by Díaz before the election. He escaped from prison and launched the Plan of San Luis Potosí, a manifesto that declared the election null and called for an armed uprising. He gained the support of various revolutionary leaders, such as Emiliano Zapata and Francisco Villa, and defeated Díaz's forces in several battles. Díaz resigned in 1911 and Madero became president. He faced opposition from both conservatives and radicals, who accused him of being too moderate and not fulfilling his promises of land reform and social justice. He also faced a rebellion from his former ally, Pascual Orozco, who allied with the U.S. ambassador Henry Lane Wilson. In 1913, a coup d'état led by General Victoriano Huerta, with the support of Wilson, overthrew Madero's government and arrested him and his vice president, José María Pino Suárez. They were both executed by Huerta's orders on February 22, 1913. Madero is considered a martyr of the Mexican Revolution and a symbol of democracy and social change. He is also known as "the Apostle of Democracy" for his idealism and vision.