Born in Buenos Aires in 1851 Roque Sáenz Peña became a key figure in Argentine history. He served as president from 1910 until his death in 1914. Roque Sáenz Peña’s story is one of reform and dedication to his country.
Roque Sáenz Peña hailed from an aristocratic background. Yet he understood the need for electoral reform. This insight shaped his presidency. His father Luis Sáenz Peña also served as president.
Before the presidency Roque Sáenz Peña traveled in Europe. He entered politics in the 1870s. He held the office of foreign minister. Roque Sáenz Peña served as an Argentine delegate. He attended the first International Conference of American States. Later he was appointed ambassador to Spain and Italy.
Roque Sáenz Peña’s most significant achievement was electoral reform. He championed universal and compulsory male suffrage. It was for men aged 18 and over. Voting would be by secret ballot. This reform came to be known as the Sáenz Peña Law. He pushed this statute through an oligarchic legislature. The law made possible Hipólito Irigoyen’s election. Irigoyen became president in 1916.
But there is more to the story. Roque Sáenz Peña interrupted his studies. He joined the national guard as a captain. This was during Bartolomé Mitre’s rebellion. It was against President Nicolás Avellaneda. After the conflict Roque Sáenz Peña continued his studies. He earned a law degree in 1875.
In 1879 Roque Sáenz Peña volunteered in the Peruvian army. He fought in the War of the Pacific. He commanded a battalion at the Battle of Tarapacá. After the defeat he was imprisoned by the Chileans for six months.
Returning to Buenos Aires in 1880 Roque Sáenz Peña became a subsecretary. He served in the Ministry of Foreign Relations. Later he resigned and traveled in Europe. In 1884 he co-founded the newspaper Sud América. He expressed his political ideas in it. Roque Sáenz Peña supported Miguel Juárez Celman’s presidential candidacy. After Celman’s victory he was appointed ambassador to Uruguay.
In 1889 Roque Sáenz Peña represented Argentina. He attended the Pan American Congress in Washington. He defended the principle of non-intervention. This applied to foreign powers in Latin American affairs. He opposed the US plan for a customs union. It would have created a single currency for all of America.
In 1890 President Celman appointed him Minister of Foreign Relations. The Revolución del Parque ended Celman’s presidency. Sáenz Peña resigned from his post.
After his father became president Roque Sáenz Peña stepped back from politics. He managed a farm in Entre Ríos. In 1898 he spoke against US intervention in Cuba.
In 1906 José Figueroa Alcorta became president. He sent Roque Sáenz Peña to Madrid. He represented Argentina at the royal wedding of Alfonso XIII. Later Roque Sáenz Peña became a minister. He served in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Switzerland.
Roque Sáenz Peña returned to Argentina in 1909. The country was in political turmoil. Traditional parties prepared for the 1910 elections. His name was put forward by those wanting to end fraud. They wanted to incorporate the opposition.
Elected president in 1910 Roque Sáenz Peña met with Hipólito Yrigoyen. They agreed on electoral reform. Sáenz Peña sent the suffrage bill to parliament. It established a new voter roll. Voting was secret and compulsory for men over 18. This became known as the Sáenz Peña Law.
Roque Sáenz Peña’s health declined in 1913. He delegated power to Victorino de la Plaza. He died in 1914.