Roque Sáenz Peña

President of Argentina

19, 1851 Buenos Aires, Argentina

August 9, 1914(1914-08-09) (63) Buenos Aires, Argentina

October 12, 1910 – August 9, 1914

12th President of Argentina Roque José Antonio del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Sáenz Peña Lahitte (March 19, 1851 – August 9, 1914) was President of Argentina, serving from October 12, 1910, to his death in office on August 9, 1914. 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.