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Haiti

Haiti, 1820 to today. Draft, not yet reviewed

Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country in the Caribbean on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica and south of The Bahamas. Under pressure, Boyer agreed to a treaty by which France formally recognized the independence of the state in exchange for a payment of 150 million francs. From 1915 to 1934 Haiti was occupied by United States Marines, and the United States had intervened after the murder of President Vilbrun Guillaume Sam. By late 2023, gangs and armed groups controlled an estimated 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Seat of power: Port-au-Prince

Rulers

Jean-Pierre Boyer

President of Haiti, 1818–1843

Serving as president for just under 25 years, Boyer managed to rule for the longest period of time of any Haitian leader. He reunited the north and south of the country into the Republic of Haiti in 1820 and also annexed the newly independent Spanish Haiti (Santo Domingo), which brought all of Hispaniola under one Haitian government by 1822. On 11 July 1825, Boyer signed an indemnity treaty stipulating that Haiti would pay France indemnities to compensate for the lost property in slaves and trade in exchange for formal diplomatic recognition of its independence.

Portrait of Jean-Pierre Boyer: B.C. (Name unknown, beyond these initials), Public domain, file

Fabre Geffrard

President of Haiti, 1859–1867

Fabre Geffrard was sworn in as president of Haiti on 18 January 1859. To placate the peasants he renewed the practice of selling state-owned lands and ended a schism with the Roman Catholic Church which then took on an important role in improving education. After surviving several rebellions, he was overthrown by Major Sylvain Salnave in 1867.

Portrait of Fabre Geffrard: Studio of Eugène Disdéri, Public domain, file

Nissage Saget

President of Haiti, 1869–1874

Jean-Nicolas Nissage Saget succeeded Sylvain Salnave as President of Haiti in 1869. Coming into power by coup, Saget was the first Haitian president to serve out his term of office and retire voluntarily. Some useful reforms took place, the most important of them being the redeeming of Haiti's paper currency.

Portrait of Nissage Saget: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file

Lysius Salomon

President of Haiti, 1879–1888

Lysius Salomon was the president of Haiti from 1879 to 1888. Salomon is best remembered for instituting Haiti's first postal system and for his lively enthusiasm for Haiti's modernization. His presidency was characterized by political instability and rebellions.

Portrait of Lysius Salomon: Unknown author, Public domain, file

Florvil Hyppolite

President of Haiti, 1889–1896

Florvil Hyppolite was a Haitian general and politician who served as the President of Haiti from 17 October 1889 to 24 March 1896. His presidency was characterized by relative prosperity and a substantial public works program. Wharves were built in several ports; large markets were erected in Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien.

Portrait of Florvil Hyppolite: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file

Tirésias Simon Sam

President of Haiti, 1896–1902

Tirésias Simon Sam was a well-received politician and he rose to become the country's president in the year 1896. Sam resigned before completion of his presidential term. Sam's predecessors had emphasized infrastructure development, something that Sam embraced.

Portrait of Tirésias Simon Sam: Johnston, Harry Hamilton, Sir, 1858-1927. Scan by NYPL, Public domain, file

Pierre Nord Alexis

President of Haiti, 1902–1908

Pierre Nord Alexis was a Haitian general and politician who served as president of Haiti from 1902 to 1908. At the age of 82, he became President on 21 December 1902 by leading troops loyal to him into the country's Chamber of Deputies. In January 1908, Alexis, already in his eighties, decided to have himself proclaimed President for Life.

Portrait of Pierre Nord Alexis: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file

Philippe Sudré Dartiguenave

President of Haiti, 1915–1922

Two names emerged, Rosalvo Bobo, who was the leader of an ongoing rebellion against the Guillaume Sam government, and Dartiguenave, then president of the Haitian Senate. Dartiguenave won the election in the Haitian Senate by a vote of 94 to 3 and was inaugurated on 12 August 1915. Throughout his career, Dartiguenave never affiliated with any political party.

Portrait of Philippe Sudré Dartiguenave: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file

Louis Borno

President of Haiti, 1922–1930

Louis Borno was elected by the State Council on 10 April 1922, to the surprise of the Americans. He achieved impressive infrastructure improvements: 1700 km of roads were made usable; 189 bridges were built; many irrigation canals were rehabilitated; hospitals, schools, and public buildings were constructed; and drinking water was brought to the main cities. Borno refused to organize free elections and maintained a Council of State, whose 21 members he had appointed.

Portrait of Louis Borno: photo officielle, Public domain, file

Stenio Vincent

President of Haiti, 1930–1941

Sténio Vincent and his team installed themselves in power by exploiting the anti-American sentiment of the popular masses. In 1935, Vincent conducted a plebiscite about extending his term in office, receiving a favorable vote to extend it to 1941. In October 1937 troops and police from the Dominican Republic massacred thousands of Haitian labourers living near the border in the Parsley Massacre.

Portrait of Stenio Vincent: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file

Élie Lescot

President of Haiti, 1941–1946

Lescot quickly moved to consolidate his control over the state apparatus, naming himself head of the Military Guard and appointing a clique of white and mixed-race members of the elite to major government posts, including his own sons. In 1942 Lescot claimed the war required the suspension of the constitution and had the parliament give him unlimited executive powers. Convinced their lives were in danger, Lescot and his cabinet fled into exile.

Portrait of Élie Lescot: Wide World Photos/ Archival by La Presse, Public domain, file

Paul Magloire

President of Haiti, 1950–1956

Magloire won against a fragile coalition of socialists, communists, and conservatives. During Magloire's rule, Haiti became a tourist spot for American and European tourists. In addition, he emphasized public works; revenues from the sale of coffee were used to repair towns, construct roads, public buildings, and a dam.

Portrait of Paul Magloire: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file

François Duvalier

President of Haiti, 1957–1971

Duvalier was elected president in the 1957 general election on a populist and black nationalist platform. He consolidated his power step by step, culminating in 1964 when he declared himself president for life after another sham referendum and election. An undercover government death squad, the Tonton Macoute, indiscriminately tortured or killed Duvalier's opponents.

Portrait of François Duvalier: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file

Jean-Claude Duvalier

President of Haiti, 1971–1986

Jean-Claude Duvalier was a Haitian dictator who held the presidency of Haiti from 1971 until he was overthrown by a popular uprising in February 1986. After assuming power, he introduced cosmetic changes to his father's regime and delegated much authority to his advisors. Thousands of Haitians were tortured and killed, and hundreds of thousands fled the country during his presidency.

Portrait of Jean-Claude Duvalier: Marcello Casal Jr/ABr, CC BY 3.0, file

Transitional Presidential Council

Head of state, 2024 to today

The Transitional Presidential Council was a temporary body constituted by the Council of Ministers on 12 April 2024 and sworn in at the National Palace on 25 April to exercise the powers and duties of the president of Haiti. Under the terms of the decree of 12 April, the Transitional Presidential Council exercised functions of the office of president until such time as a new president was elected and inaugurated. The council dissolved as scheduled after no presidential election was held.

Portrait of Transitional Presidential Council: SpinnerLaserz, Public domain, file

Culture

Picture

The Marché en Fer is a metal edifice that was built in Paris for a railway station in Cairo, but Haitian president Florvil Hyppolite purchased it and had it brought to Haiti in 1891.

Image: book by Jacques Nicolas Léger, photo uncredited, Public domain, file

Sources

Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.