Roque Sáenz Peña

Who was Roque Sáenz Peña?

Roque Sáenz Peña Lahitte was President of Argentina from 12 October 1910 to 9 August 1914, when he died in office. He was the son of former President Luis Sáenz Peña.

He was responsible for passing Law 8871, known as "Sáenz Peña Law", which greatly reformed the Argentine electoral system, making the vote secret, universal and compulsory for males over 18. This effectively ended the rule by electoral fraud of the conservative Argentine oligarchy, and paved the way for the rise of the Radical Civic Union in the first free elections of the country. President Roque Sáenz Peña Avenue in Buenos Aires is named after him.

He also served in the War of the Pacific as a lieutenant colonel of the Peruvian Army, and was made prisoner by Chile for six months following the Battle of Arica. He later served as Ambassador to Spain and Italy

His daughter married Carlos Saavedra Lamas, academic and politician, and the first Latin American Nobel Peace Prize recipient.