Ignacio Comonfort

Ignacio Comonfort
The Most Excellent; Ignacio Comonfort
25th President of Mexico
	In office; 11 December, 1855 – 17 December, 1857
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 María 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	Ignacio Suárez 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; Puebla, Puebla, New Spain
Died	13 November 1863 (aged 51); Guanajuato, Mexican Empire
Nationality	Mexican
Political party	Liberal Party

Ignacio Gregorio Comonfort de los Ríos (Spanish pronunciation: [iɣˈnasjo komoɱˈfoɾt ðe los ˈri.os]; 12 March 1812 – 13 November 1863), known as Ignacio Comonfort, was a Mexican politician and soldier. He became President of Mexico in 1855 after the outbreak of the Revolution of Ayutla that overthrew Santa Anna.

Early life

He was born in 1812 to French parents in Puebla de los Ángeles, in the state of Puebla, New Spain (colonial México). He participated in the Mexican–American War.

Presidential term

Comonfort was president of Mexico from 11 December 1855 to 21 January 1858. During his term as president, Benito Juárez served as president of the Supreme Court of Mexico.

Constitution of 1857

He was a moderate liberal who tried to maintain an uncertain coalition, but the moderate liberals and the radical liberals were unable to resolve their sharp differences. During his presidency, the Constitution of 1857 was drafted creating the Second Federal Republic of Mexico. The new constitution restricted some of the Catholic Church's traditional privileges regarding land holdings, revenues and control over education. It granted religious freedom, and only stated that the Catholic Church was the favored faith. The anti-clerical radicals scored a major victory with the ratification of the constitution, because it weakened the Church and enfranchised all citizens.

War of the Reform

The constitution was unacceptable to the clergy and the conservatives, and they plotted a revolt. The country descended into the Reform War, a civil war launched by reactionaries against the Constitution of 1857 which, among other things, had abolished privileges for the Catholic Church.[1] Shortly after the adoption of the Constitution of 1857, a board of generals staged a coup d'état, proclaiming the Plan of Tacubaya, which decreed the nullification of the Constitution. President Comonfort, representing himself as a moderate, wavered but decided to go along with the generals. In exchange, the Catholic Church repealed the March 1857 excommunication decree for those who adhered to the new plan.

On 17 December 1857, anti-constitutional forces led by General Félix Zuloaga took control of the capital without firing a shot.[2] But defenders of the 1857 Constitution did not stay calm for long. President Comonfort then decreed himself extraordinary powers, an action which alienated both the reactionary rebels as well as the constitutionalists. As unrest grew, many opponents were imprisoned or shot. Even Benito Juárez was put behind bars for several days.

Resignation and return to Mexico

On 11 January 1858, General Zuloaga demanded the ouster of the President. Comonfort resigned, and according to the Constitution of 1857, Benito Juárez, President of the Supreme Court, assumed the presidency. In opposition, the board of generals and Catholic clergy selected General Zuloaga as their president.

After seeking asylum in the United States, Comonfort returned to act again as a general against the French invasion in 1862. He died the next year, on 13 November 1863, after being attacked by a group of bandits near Celaya, Guanajuato.[3]

References

Knapp, Frank A. Jr. (1953). "Parliamentary Government and the Mexican Constitution of 1857: A Forgotten Phase of Mexican Political History". Hispanic American Historical Review. 33 (1): 65–87. JSTOR 2509622.
Hamnett, Brian (1996). "The Comonfort presidency, 1855–1857". Bulletin of Latin American Research. 15 (1): 81–100. JSTOR 3339405.
Brian Hamnett, Juárez, New York: Longman 1994, 270.

External links

Political offices
Preceded by Juan Álvarez	President of Mexico 1855-1857	Succeeded by Benito Juárez

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[1] Knapp, Frank A. Jr. (1953). "Parliamentary Government and the Mexican Constitution of 1857: A Forgotten Phase of Mexican Political History". Hispanic American Historical Review. 33 (1): 65–87. JSTOR 2509622.

[2] Hamnett, Brian (1996). "The Comonfort presidency, 1855–1857". Bulletin of Latin American Research. 15 (1): 81–100. JSTOR 3339405.

[3] Brian Hamnett, Juárez, New York: Longman 1994, 270.