Jacques Nicolas Léger (1859–1918) was a

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

, and

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

. Léger was born at Les Cayes, Haiti, in 1859. He received his early education in Haiti, and as a very young man went to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, where he continued his higher studies and also received his legal training. His father had been a member of the

Haitian senate The Senate (french: Sénat, ) is the upper house of Haiti's bicameral legislature, the Haitian Parliament. The lower house of the Haitian Parliament is the Chamber of Deputies. The Senate consists of thirty seats, with three members from each of ...

and a statesman of note, so that young Léger began to take an active part in the politics of his country at an early age. In 1881, when only 22 years old, he was made secretary of the Haitian

legation A legation was a diplomatic representative office of lower rank than an embassy. Where an embassy was headed by an ambassador, a legation was headed by a Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, minister. Ambassadors diplomatic rank, out ...

in Paris, and a little later, upon the abrupt resignation of Minister Charles Séguy Villevaleix, the young secretary was made charge d'affaires. Upon his return to Haiti, he resumed the practice of law at

Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( , ; ht, Pòtoprens ) is the capital and most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 987,311 in 2015 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The metropolitan area is define ...

, and also became editor-in-chief of an influential political journal. In 1890 he was made chief of a division in the department of foreign affairs, and in 1892 became one of the founders of the Société de Législation of Port-au-Prince, later becoming its president. He was also made president of the Order of Barristers of Port-au-Prince and was subsequently made a member of the permanent court of arbitration at The Hague. Having been elected as a member of the

Chamber of Deputies of Haiti The Chamber of Deputies (french: Chambre des Députés; ht, Chanm Depite) is the lower house of Haiti's bicameral legislature, the Haitian Parliament. The upper house of the Haitian Parliament is the Senate of Haiti. The Chamber has 119 membe ...

, Léger took high rank in that legislative body, serving as chairman of the committee of foreign affairs and as a member of the judiciary committee. In 1896 he was appointed envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of Haiti at Washington, a post he held for nearly 13 years. While serving in this post, he was appointed as the delegate from Haiti to the Second Pan American Congress, and thereafter made vice chairman of the committee on regulations for the Third International Conference. As a member of the governing board of the

Pan American Union The Organization of American States (OAS; es, Organización de los Estados Americanos, pt, Organização dos Estados Americanos, french: Organisation des États américains; ''OEA'') is an international organization that was founded on 30 April ...

he served on many important committees. In 1911 he was appointed

Foreign Minister A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

of his country, a post he held until May 1913, and to which he was recalled by President

Oreste Zamor Emmanuel Oreste Zamor (1861–1915) was a Haitian general and politician who served as the president of Haiti in 1914. Biography During the Haitian civil war of 1912, Oreste Zamor and his brother Charles, both generals, supported Caimito R ...

in 1914. Upon his retirement from public office Léger resumed his legal and literary work, for which he gained renown that extended far beyond Haiti. As a writer his most important work was in the lines of law, diplomacy, and history, his best known published works being: * "Haiti et la Révision" (1885) *"La Politique Extérieure d'Haiti" (1886) *"Recueil des Traités et Conventions de la République d'Haiti" (1891) *"Code de Procédure Civile d'Haiti" (1902) *" Haiti: Her History and Her Detractors" (1907) He died at Port-au-Prince on February 5, 1918.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leger, Jacques Nicolas 1859 births 1918 deaths Foreign Ministers of Haiti 19th-century Haitian lawyers Haitian non-fiction writers Haitian male writers Haitian diplomats Haitian people of Mulatto descent Members of the Permanent Court of Arbitration Ambassadors of Haiti to the United States Haitian judges of international courts and tribunals Male non-fiction writers 20th-century Haitian lawyers