September 15, 1830 - Porfirio Díaz

José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori (; Spanish: [poɾˈfiɾjo ˈði.as]; baptized 15 September 1830 – 2 July 1915) was a Mexican general and politician who was the dictator of Mexico from 1876 until his overthrow in 1911. Seizing power in a military coup, he served as president of Mexico on three occasions, a total of over thirty years, the longest of any Mexican ruler.

Díaz was born to a Oaxacan family of modest means. He initially studied to become a priest but eventually switched his studies to law, and among his mentors was the future President of Mexico, Benito Juárez. Díaz increasingly became active in Liberal Party politics fighting with the Liberals to overthrow Santa Anna in the Plan of Ayutla, and also fighting on their side against the Conservative Party in the Reform War.

During the second French intervention in Mexico, Díaz fought in the Battle of Puebla in 1862, which temporarily repulsed the invaders, but was captured when the French besieged the city with reinforcements a year later. He escaped captivity and made his way to Oaxaca City, becoming political and military commander over all of Southern Mexico, and successfully resisting French efforts to advance upon the region, until Oaxaca City fell before a French siege in 1865.

Content sourced from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porfirio Díaz under CC BY-SA 4.0.