Ignacio Comonfort
President of Mexico
Died when: 51 years 236 days (619 months)Star Sign: Pisces
Ignacio Gregorio Comonfort de los Ríos (Spanish pronunciation: [i?'nasjo komo?'fo? ðe loz 'ri.os]; 12 March 1812 – 13 November 1863), known as Ignacio Comonfort, was a Mexican politician and soldier who was also president during one of the most eventful periods in 19th century Mexican history: La Reforma.
He played a leading role in the liberal Plan of Ayutla which overthrew the dictatorship of Santa Anna in 1855, and then served in the cabinet of the new president, Juan Alvarez.
He gained a reputation as a moderate and assumed the presidency when Alvarez stepped down after only a few months.
The Constitution of 1857 was drafted during his presidency. The constitution was met with opposition from conservatives and the Catholic Church when it was promulgated in February 1857 over its anti-clerical provisions, most notably the Lerdo law, which stripped the church of most of its rural properties.
The measure also forced Mexico's indigenous peoples to sell sizeable portions of their communal lands. 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, who had been dealing with revolts since the beginning of his administration, was dissatisfied with how weak the constitution would leave the president, and also hoped to find a more compromising arrangement with the conservatives.
He joined the conservative Plan of Tacubaya against the constitution in December 1857, only to be completely abandoned by his liberal allies.
He backed out of the plan, and resigned the presidency in favor of his constitutional successor, the president of the Supreme Court, Benito Juarez.
Comonfort then left the country as the War of Reform broke out. Comonfort returned to the country in 1862 to fight against the Second French Intervention in Mexico but was killed in action on 13 November 1863.
Related People
President of Mexico
President of Mexico
.png?width=300)
President of Mexico