Victoriano Huerta (1854-1916) was a Mexican counterrevolutionary military officer who, in February of 1913, overthrew and assassinated President Francisco Madero and seized power for himself. American President Woodrow Wilson refused to accept his government and sent an expeditionary force to invade Veracruz, which was sending arms and ammunition to Huerta. After field defeats of Huerta's Federal Army by Carransa's generals Obregon and Villa, Huerta resigned the presidency on July 15, 1914 and went into exile.
Huerta entered the Mexican Army at the age of 17. During the Porfirio Díaz administration he rose to the rank of general. Huerta initially pledged allegiance to Francisco I. Madero at the beginning of the Mexican Revolution but he conspired with U. S. ambassador to Mexico, Henry Lane Wilson, general Bernardo Reyes, and general Félix Díaz to overthrow Madero. This episode in Mexican history is known as "La decena trágica".
He died in El Paso, Texas.