Ignacio Comonfort | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 25th President of Mexico | |
| In office 11 December 1855 – 21 January 1858 | |
| Preceded by | Juan Álvarez |
| Succeeded by | Benito Juárez |
| Secretary of War and Navy of Mexico | |
| In office 10 October 1854 – 17 December 1857 | |
| President | Juan Álvarez |
| Preceded by | Manuel de Sandoval |
| Succeeded by | Manuel María de Sandoval |
| In office 19 August 1861 – 13 November 1862 | |
| President | Benito Juárez |
| Preceded by | Felipe Berriozábal |
| Succeeded by | Juan Suárez y Navarro |
| Governor of Tamaulipas | |
| In office 16 March 1861 – 9 August 1862 | |
| Preceded by | Jesús de la Serna |
| Succeeded by | Albino López |
| Governor of Jalisco | |
| In office 22 September 1854 – 30 August 1855 | |
| Preceded by | Manuel Gamboa |
| Succeeded by | Santos Degollado |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 March 1812 Amozoc de Mota, Puebla |
| Died | 13 November 1863 (aged 51) Chamacueros, Guanajuato, México (now Municipio de Comonfort) |
| Nationality | Mexican |
| Political party | Liberal Party |
Ignacio Gregorio Comonfort de los Ríos (Spanish pronunciation: [iɣˈnasjo komoɱˈfoɾ ðe los ˈri.os]; 12 March 1812 – 13 November 1863), known as Ignacio Comonfort, was a Mexican politician and soldier who was also president during La Reforma.
He played a leading role in the liberal movement under the Plan of Ayutla to overthrow the dictatorship of Santa Anna in 1855; he then served in the cabinet of the new president, Juan Álvarez. Comonfort was a moderate liberal and assumed the presidency when Álvarez stepped down after only a few months. The Constitution of 1857 was drafted during his presidency, incorporating changes enacted in individual laws of the Liberal Reform. The constitution was met with opposition from conservatives its forceful anticlerical provisions to undermine the economic power and privileged status of the Catholic Church as an institution. Most notably the Lerdo law stripped the Church to hold property. The law also forced the breakup of communal land holdings of indigenous communities, which enabled them to resist integration economically and culturally. The controversy was further inflamed when the government mandated that all civil servants take an oath to uphold the new constitution, which left Catholic public servants with the choice between either keeping their jobs or being excommunicated.
Comonfort considered the anticlerical articles of the constitution too radical, likely to provoke a violent reaction. He also objected to the deliberate weakening of the power of the executive branch of government by empowering the legislative branch. He had been dealing with revolts since the beginning of his administration and the new constitution left the president powerless to act. Hoping to reach compromise with the conservatives and other opponents of the constitution, he joined the Plan of Tacubaya, nullifying the constitution in December 1857. Congress was dissolved and Comonfort remained as president, only to be completely abandoned by his liberal allies. He backed out of the plan and resigned from the presidency. He was succeeded by the president of the Supreme Court, Benito Juárez. Comonfort went into exile as the bloody Reform War broke out, a civil war the conservatives lost in 1861. Comonfort returned to the country in 1862 to fight against the invasion by France that Mexican conservatives supported. Comonfort was killed in action in defense of the Republic on 13 November 1863.