Ignacio Comonfort

The Most Excellent Ignacio Comonfort
Portrait made by José Carrillo in 1855, oil on canvas, Museo de Historia Mexicana [es].
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 [es]
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	(1812-03-12)12 March 1812 Amozoc de Mota, Puebla
Died	13 November 1863(1863-11-13) (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 War of Reform 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.