Dumarsais Estimé
| Dumarsais Estimé | |
|---|---|
Dumarsais Estimé taking the oath of office in August 1946
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| President of Haiti | |
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In office 16 August 1946 – 10 May 1950 |
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| Preceded by | Franck Lavaud |
| Succeeded by | Franck Lavaud |
| Minister of National Education, Agriculture and Labor | |
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In office 29 November 1937 – 5 January 1940 |
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| President | Sténio Vincent |
| Preceded by | Auguste Turnier |
| Succeeded by | Luc E. Fouché |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Léon Dumarsais Estimé 21 April 1900 Verrettes, Haiti |
| Died | 20 July 1953 (aged 53) New York City, New York, United States |
| Nationality | Haitian |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse(s) | Lucienne Heurtelou (m. 1939–53) |
| Children | Léon Jean-Robert Estimé, Paul Dumarsais Estimé |
| Profession | Lawyer, teacher |
Léon Dumarsais Estimé (21 April 1900 – 20 July 1953) served as the President of Haïti from 16 August 1946 until 10 May 1950. He was the first black head of state since the US occupation of Haiti ended in 1934.
Estimé was born to a poor family in the small city of Verrettes. A well-to-do uncle, Estilus Estimé, brought him to Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital, and financed his education at law school. He graduated and briefly practiced law before becoming a teacher. After the government of Louis Borno expelled him for sedition, Estimé joined Haiti's nationalist movement in 1930 and became an outspoken opponent of the United States occupation of Haiti.
Estimé developed a reputation as a skillful and competent civil servant, becoming one of the few black members of the Haiti's lower chamber of Parliament. Marrying into and allying with elements of Haiti's mulatto elite, he rose through the ranks of the government of Sténio Vincent and eventually became Minister of Education. An unsuccessful bid for the Haitian presidency in 1941 did not temper his political ambitions. Unlike other prominent political leaders, he was not part of the opposition that eventually sparked a successful uprising against the government of Élie Lescot.
A seven-month period of political wrangling under an interim military-led government drew to a close with the election of Estimé in August 1946, the first black president of Haiti since the US occupation ended in 1934.
Initially, his administration included a coalition of dissidents who led opposition to previous regimes. But Estimé learned the United States viewed his government unfavorably as radically left-wing. As the coalition broke up, fiery labor leader Daniel Fignolé and socialist George Rigaud were eased out of the cabinet. Estimé would later attempt to solidify ties to the United States by exaggerating the communist threat to his government.
Estimé's noiriste government represented a significant departure from previous administrations. Government jobs, including cabinet positions, were overwhelmingly held by black professionals instead of members of the light-skinned elite. The head of the cabinet, Roger Dorsinville, was an impassioned black nationalist who authored Estimé's inaugural speech calling for broad reforms and empowerment of the Haiti's poor masses.
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Wikipedia