Franck Lavaud (February 16, 1903 – February 27, 1988) was a
Haitian general and politician who was an acting head of state during two terms: from January 11, 1946 until August 16, 1946 and from May 10, 1950 until December 6, 1950. Both times he led a military junta along with
Paul Magloire
Paul Eugène Magloire (July 19, 1907 – July 12, 2001), nicknamed Kanson Fe, was the Haitian president from 1950 to 1956.
Early life
Paul Eugène Magloire ne Paul Vincent Magloire, 30th president of Haiti and 33rd head of state (ephemeral mili ...
and Antoine Levelt.
Biography
Lavaud served as Commander of the Garde d'Haiti, the military of Haiti, starting in 1944. Haiti's President at the time was
Élie Lescot
Antoine Louis Léocardie Élie Lescot (December 9, 1883 – October 20, 1974) was the President of Haiti from May 15, 1941 to January 11, 1946. He was a member of the country's mixed-race elite. He used the political climate of World War II to s ...
, a member of the
mulatto elite. Despite popular support early in his regime, repression and the exposure of ties with Dominican President
Rafael Trujillo caused Lescot's reputation to fall. Crucially, Lescot had poor relations with the Garde, which was predominantly black.
In late 1945, an anti-Lescot student newspaper called ''La Ruche'' published its first issue in Port-au-Prince. The newspaper eschewed race-based politics and equated Lescot with
Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...
. Because the students offered recitations in the vernacular language of
Creole to Port-au-Prince's illiterate working population, it acquired widespread popularity. On January 4, Garde members detained Franck Magloire, publisher of ''
Le Matin'', who allowed ''La Ruche'' to be published on his presses. In reaction to his detention, students began to protest in the streets. In the following days, they were joined by workers and received declarations of support from a new opposition organization, the Front Démocratique Unifié (FDU), headed by Dr. Georges Rigaud.
As the protests grew in intensity, Lescot met with opposition leaders and stated that he would dissolve the cabinet and step down on May 15, the fifth anniversary of his ascension to power. Despite that, the protests continued and Lescot privately asked Lavaud to use the Garde against the protesters. Lavaud refused to carry out the order and Lescot commanded his arrest. Later that day, Lavaud, his lieutenant Antoine Levelt, and American ambassador
Orme Wilson Jr. formed the Conseil Exécutif Militaire (CEM), an organization committed to forcing Lescot out. Lavaud was able to convince Lescot of the danger of remaining in Haiti. The CEM pressured Lescot into resigning and on January 11 Lescot fled the country.
As leaders of the CEM, Lavaud, Levelt, and
Paul Magloire
Paul Eugène Magloire (July 19, 1907 – July 12, 2001), nicknamed Kanson Fe, was the Haitian president from 1950 to 1956.
Early life
Paul Eugène Magloire ne Paul Vincent Magloire, 30th president of Haiti and 33rd head of state (ephemeral mili ...
came into control of the country. They promised to hold democratic elections, which occurred on May 12. The left wing fared poorly in the parliamentary elections in May and was powerless to prevent the
Senate from electing the CEM's favored candidate,
Dumarsais Estimé
Dumarsais Estimé (born April 21, 1900 in Verrettes, died July 20, 1953 in New York) was a Haitian politician and President of the Haitian Republic from August 16, 1946 to May 10, 1950.
Previously, he was a member of the Parliament for Verrett ...
. After Estimé's election by the Senate, Lavaud stepped down and Estimé was inaugurated.
Afterwards, Lavaud resumed his duties as head of the Garde. Estimé had a left-wing agenda as President and attempted to placate the army to cement his rule. Lavaud was promoted to brigadier general. In addition, Estimé oversaw the renaming of the Garde to the Haitian Army in March 1947. Between 1946 and 1950 the balance of power in the Haitian military shifted and when Estimé was deposed by the military in 1950, Lavaud was president but less powerful than fellow officer Magloire. Magloire ultimately was directly elected president in his own right in direct elections in October of that year.
References
Presidents of Haiti
1903 births
1988 deaths
1940s in Haiti
1950s in Haiti
20th-century Haitian politicians
{{haiti-politician-stub