Michel Domingue served as the President of

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 s ...

from 14 June 1874 to 15 April 1876.

Biography

Michel Domingue was born in

Les Cayes Les Cayes ( , ), often referred to as Aux Cayes (; ht, Okay), is a commune and seaport in the Les Cayes Arrondissement, in the Sud department of Haiti, with a population of 71,236. Due to its isolation from the political turmoil of the capita ...

in 1813. He graduated from military training and became commander of

army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

units in Sud. From 8 May 1868 to December 1869, he was president of the autonomous states of the south of Haiti. On 11 June 1874, General Domingue was elected for a term of eight years as president of Haiti. Domingue, who was primarily a soldier, had neither the stature nor the tact of a statesman. He therefore issued a decree on 10 September 1874 appointing Septimus Rameau to manage public functions as the Vice-President of the Council of Secretaries of State. Septimus Rameau thus became the true ruler of Haiti. Rameau was dictatorial and domineering by nature, while Michel Domingue was more of a figurehead. One of Domingue's first acts after his election to the presidency was the signing of an agreement with the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

, which the Haitian congress refused to ratify. The agreement established the countries' mutual recognition and in particular an end to the long and bloody border war between them. Septimus Rameau also led negotiations with the President of the Dominican Republic Ignacio María González. The Chief of Staff of President Domingue, General N. Léger, was sent to

Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 ( Distrito Nacional) , webs ...

to prepare a new agreement. Upon his return to

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 ...

on 9 November 1874, he was accompanied by Dominican negotiators to seal a treaty of friendship and an accord on trade and navigation. Haiti recognized and accepted the full independence of the Dominican Republic, and on 20 January 1875 the treaty of friendship was signed between the two countries. Despite this success in international politics, Haiti's domestic financial situation was devastating. Domingue tried to negotiate a loan with France, which would strain Haitian finances for years. Finally, corruption and fraud were so great that Domingue issued a decree, dated 15 May 1875, for the arrest of Generals Brice, Pierre Monplaisir Pierre, and Pierre Théoma Boisrond-Canal, his political opponent. Boisrond-Canal criticized this financial policy and the loan. He took refuge at the embassy of the United States, causing a diplomatic crisis between Haiti and the United States. Brice and Pierre Monplaisir Pierre were killed while Boisrond-Canal and other opponents fled abroad. Septimus Rameau was accused of being responsible for the deaths of the two generals, as well as the proposed loan with France. He was himself assassinated on a street in Port-au-Prince. Domingue resigned on 15 April 1876 and went into exile in

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley Inte ...

, where he died a year later.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Domingue, Michel 1813 births 1877 deaths Presidents of Haiti People from Les Cayes 1870s in Haiti 19th-century Haitian politicians Haitian military leaders Haitian exiles