urn:taro:utexas.blac.00011 Ignacio Comonfort: An Inventory of His Papers at the Benson Latin American Collection University of Texas at Austin 11/1994 Text converted and initial EAD tagging provided by Apex Data Services, July 2001. Finding aid written in English. August 2, 2002 Edited with XMetaL3 by Bob Stewart according to instructions inEditing TARO EAD XML Finding Aids with XMetaL. Tue Jul 22 14:57:49 CDT 2003 urn:taro:utexas.blac.00011 converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02.xsl (20030505). Descriptive Summary Comonfort, Ignacio, 1812-1863. Ignacio Comonfort Papers 1821-1918 1847-1863 2.5 linear ft. 29761803 Benson Latin American Collection, General Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin Papers of Ignacio Comonfort, Mexican Army general and President of Mexico, 1855-1858, include military and official documents, correspondence, and family records. Spanish or Castilian. Biographical Note

President of Mexico, general. Born 1812, died 1863. Positions held include: Artillery captain (1833); infantry colonel in the militia; colonel in the 1847 campaign of the Valle de Mexico; Administrador de la Aduana Maritima de Acapulco (1852); Administrador de la Aduana Maritima de Mazatlan; General de Brigada del Ejército Mexicano (1854); General en Gefe del Ejército Restaurador de la Libertad (1855); General de División de Ejército Mexicano (1855); Ministro de Guerra (Oct. 10-Dec. 10, 1855). Comonfort became Presidente Sustituto de la República (Dec. 11, 1855) when Presidente Interino Juan Alvarez left power, and was elected president of Mexico on July 13, 1857. His tenure as president included his 1856 victory at Puebla, for which he was declared a national hero on July 30, 1856, and the passage of the controversial Ley Lerdo. He was active in the creation of the 1857 Constitution of Mexico. Comonfort resigned the presidency on Jan. 21, 1858; in 1863 he was made General-in-Chief of the Army organized to resist the French Intervention. On Nov. 13, 1863, he was killed in a guerilla attack near San Juan de la Vega.

Chronology 1833 Capitán de la compañia de artilleria de la Guardia Nacional July 29, 1834 Coronel de Infanteria de la milicia nacional de esta Capital June 1844 “... concede retiro con solo goce de fuero y uso de Uniforme en la clase de Coronel de Infanteria de milicia activa al Teniente Coronel retirado de la propia arma Cuidano Ignacio Comonfort” Feb. 25, 1845 Prefecto del Distrito de Tlapa August 29, 1846 Prefecto Interino del Distrito de Cuautitlan Nov. 3, 1846 Prefecto Proprietario del Distrito del Oeste de México Feb. 13, 1847 Coronel del 2o Batallon del Estado, titulado “Guerrero,” de la Prefectura del Oeste de Méjico 1847 Adjutant of the Army during the campaña del Valle de Méjico 1851 Seems to have been acting as Administrador de la Aduana Maritima de Acapulco (per investigative reports; but his statement says he entered office Nov. 1852) Nov. 1852 Administrador de la Aduana Maritima de Acapulco April 25, 1853 nominated as Administrador de la Aduana Maritima de Mazatlan June 10, 1853 confirmed as Administrador de la Aduana Maritima de Acapulco March 1854 Investigated by Juzgado de Hacienda (de Acapulco) and found innocent of any wrongdoing during his service as Administrador de la Aduana Maritima de Acapulco. (Final signature dated March 1854). April 19-25, 1854 Battle of Acapulco July 21, 1854 General de Brigada del Ejército Mexicano Dec. 7, 1854 Returned to Acapulco from exile in U.S. [1854] General in Chief of Michaocán July 15, 1855 General en Gefe del Ejército Restaurador de la Libertad August 27, 1855 General de División del Ejército Mexicano Oct. 10-Dec. 10, 1855 Minister of War Nov. 16, 1855 “... nombra General de Brigada del Ejército mexicano en revalidación, al Ciudano Coronel Ignacio Comonfort”; “revalidando el despacho de este empleo que le expedí como General en Gefe del Ejército restaurador de la Libertad, en 15Julio de 1854.” Nov. 19, 1855 Awarded Cruz del Valle de Méjico for service in 1847 Nov. 30, 1855 General de División del Ejército mexicano, “revalendandole el que le conferí como General en Gefe de Ejército Libertador” Dec. 11, 1855 Presidente Sustituto de la Republica March 1856 Victory at Puebla; General de División y en Gefe del Ejército de operaciones sobre Puebla April 14, 1856 Awarded la Patriótica Condecoracion de la Paz July 30, 1856 Decreed Benemérito de la Patria for March 1856 success at Puebla July 13, 1857 Elected president of Mexico Jan. 21, 1858 Resigned presidency 1858-1861 Exile in the U.S. 1861 Returned to Mexico 1863 General-in-Chief of the Army organized to resist the French Intervention Nov. 13, 1863 Killed in guerrilla attack near San Juan de la Vega, on the road from Querétaro to San Luis Potosí Scope and Contents

Correspondence, orders and appointments, inventories and lists, financial documents, literary productions, legal documents, printed material, and miscellanea from Comonfort's political and military career. Among correspondence are found materials relating to the Mexican Legation in Spain (filed as G480 Ms.), drafts and copies from the military campaign of 1863 (G502 Ms., G503 Ms.), and letters exchanged by Comonfort with his daughters. Some inventories from the customs offices of Mazatlan and Acapulco are present in the collection (see G470 Ms. for the 1854 Acapulco inventory), as is a list of officers and soldiers who composed the army at Puebla in 1856 (G477 Ms.). Also included are documents relating to Comonfort's Masonic membership. Printed material includes a few proclamations from Comonfort's presidency. Comonfort Family papers include correspondence, documents pertaining to the exhumation and reinterment of Ignacio Comonfort, financial and legal documents (including the disposition of Comonfort's estate), certificates of birth and marriage, and printed material. Comonfort's appointment of Agapito Pozo as Promotor Fiscal del Tribunal de Circuito de Celaya is filed as G472 Ms.

The documents are in Spanish.

 Organization

The papers are organized in two subgroups: Juan Ignacio Comonfort Comonfort family Series are according to format of material.

 Acquisitions Information

The Ignacio Comonfort Papers, which form part of the Genaro García Collection, were purchased by the University of Texas in 1921 from the heirs of Genaro García.

 Processing Information

The papers were described by the Benson Latin American Collection's Mexican Archives Project in December 1993.

Prepared by the Mexican Archives Project, November 1994.

Alternate Form Available

The papers are also available on microfilm.

 Preferred Citation

Ignacio Comonfort Papers, 1821-1918, Benson Latin American Collection, General Libraries, University of Texas at Austin.

 Related Material

García, Genaro, 1867-1920. Genaro García Collection, 15-- - 1920?, Benson Latin American Collection, General Libraries, University of Texas at Austin.

Publications

Documents from the collection were published in:

García, Genaro, 1867-1920. Documentos inéditos ó muy raros para la historia de México (volume 23) Mexico City : Vda. de C. Bouret, 1909. Index Terms Subjects (Persons) Comonfort, Ignacio, 1812-1863--Archives. Comonfort family (Ignacio Comonfort) Subjects Presidents--Mexico. Places Mexico--Foreign relations--1821-1861--Sources. Mexico--History--1821-1861--Sources. Mexico--History--European intervention, 1861-1867--Sources. Mexico--History, Military--Sources. Mexico--Politics and government--1821-1861--Sources. Mexico--Politics and government--1861-1867--Sources. Puebla (Mexico)--History--Sources. Subgroups and Series I. Subgroup, Ignacio Comonfort 1. García Archives a. Series, Correspondence, 1838-1868. 1.6 feet.

Includes general correspondence from Comonfort's political and military career (1838-1868) and correspondence with Comonfort's daughters, Adela and Clara Comonfort (1851-1863).

b. Series, Orders, appointments, proclamations, 1823-1863. 1 inch. c. Series, Inventories and lists, 1856 and undated. 1 folder.

Includes inventories from the customs offices of Mazatlan and Acapulco (see G. Ms. 470 for the 1854 Acapulco inventory).

 d. Series, Literary productions, 1854-1868, 1 folder. e. Series, Legal documents, 1854 1 folder. f. Series, Financial documents, 1850-1860 1 folder. g. Series, Printed material, 1843-1863.

Includes a few proclamations from Comonfort's presidency of Mexico.

 h. Series, Masonic documents, 1859, 1 folder.

Relate to Comonfort's Masonic membership.

 i. Series, Maps, diagrams, etc., 1863, oversized. j. Series, Miscellaneous, 1821-1895 3 items. 2. García Manuscripts G470 1854 inventory of the Acapulco customs office G472 Manuscript dated 1855 concerning the appointment of Agapito Pozo as Promotor Fiscal (Celaya). G477 List of officers and soldiers who composed the army at Puebla in 1856 G480 Materials concerning the Legación de México en España G502 Drafts of letters and reports on the military campaign of 1863 (April-May 10, 1863) G503 “Mensajes remitidos, Cuartel General, Ejército Reservas” (March 1863) II. Subgroup, Comonfort Family 1. Series, Correspondence, 1866-1897 1 folder. 2. Series, Documents pertaining to the exhumation and reinterment of Ignacio Comonfort, 1867-1868 1 folder. 3. Series, Legal documents, 1864-1865 1 folder. 4. Series, Financial documents, 1866-1870 1 folder. 5. Series, Certificates of birth, marriage, 1850-1896 1 folder. 6. Series, Printed material, 1866-1918 1 folder.