Paul Magloire

Paul was the son of General Eugene Francois Magloire, a high-ranking general. He was born in Quartier Morin in 1907 and raised in Cap-Haitien. He attended Lycee Philippe Guerrier. He married Yolette Leconte in 1936, a direct descendant of Jean-Jacques Dessalines. He joined the army in 1930. He became Police Chief of Port-au-Prince in 1944. In 1946 he participated in a successful coup against President Élie Lescot. When his predecessor, President Dumarsais Estimé, tried to extend his term of office in 1950, Magloire ousted him with the help of a local elite and took power.

During his rule, Haiti became a tourist spot for American and European tourists. His anti-communist position also gained favorable reception from the US government. In addition, he used revenues from the sale of coffee to repair towns, build roads, public buildings, and a dam. He also oversaw the institution of women's suffrage. Magloire was very fond of a vivid social life, staging numerous parties, social events, and ceremonies.

In 1954, when Hurricane Hazel ravaged Haiti and relief funds were stolen, Magloire's popularity fell. In 1956 there was a dispute about when his presidency would end; he fled the country amid strikes and demonstrations. When François Duvalier took the presidency, he stripped Magloire of his Haitian citizenship.

In 1986, when Duvalier's son and successor Jean-Claude lost power, Magloire returned to Haiti from New York City. Two years later he became an unofficial army advisor. He died in 2001.[2][3] He was married to Yolette Leconte until her death in 1981.[4]

• Nicholls, David (1979). From Dessalines to Duvalier: Race, Colour, and National Independence in Haiti. ISBN 978-0-8135-2240-1.
• Trouillot, Michel-Rolph (1989). Haiti: State Against Nation. Monthly Review Press. ISBN 978-0-85345-755-8.