Simone Duvalier (; ''
née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
'' Ovide; 19 March 1913 – 26 December 1997), also known as Mama Doc, was the wife of Haitian leader
François "Papa Doc" Duvalier and the
First Lady of Haiti.
Early life
She was born Simone Ovide in about 1913 near the Haitian town of
Léogâne, the daughter of a
mulatto
(, ) is a racial classification to refer to people of mixed African and European ancestry. Its use is considered outdated and offensive in several languages, including English and Dutch, whereas in languages such as Spanish and Portuguese is ...
merchant and writer,
Jules Faine, and Célie Ovide, one of the maids in his household. At an early age her mother gave her up, and she spent much of her childhood in an orphanage in
Pétion-Ville, an exclusive suburb in the hills above
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 ...
. The orphans were encouraged to acquire vocational skills and Simone Ovide was trained as a
nurse's aide
Unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) are paraprofessionals who assist individuals with physical disabilities, mental impairments, and other health care needs with their activities of daily living (ADLs). UAPs also provide bedside care—includi ...
. While working as a nurse she met a young doctor named
François Duvalier
François Duvalier (; 14 April 190721 April 1971), also known as Papa Doc, was a Haitian politician of French Martiniquan descent who served as the President of Haiti from 1957 to 1971. He was elected president in the 1957 general election on ...
. The couple was married on 27 December 1939, and had four children: Marie Denise, Nicole, Simone “Queen”, and Jean-Claude, their only son.
First Lady
After their marriage, François Duvalier became minister of public health and labor in 1949 and won election to the presidency in 1957. Throughout his 14 years in office, his wife guarded access to her husband and developed and promoted her own palace favorites.
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Because of her acquired status and her imperious bearing, Haitians referred to her as "Mama Doc". She was, like her husband, reported to be a Vodou expert. She cultivated the image of a benefactor; dispensing charity to inhabitants of "Cite Simone", a planned settlement named for her that is known today as Cité Soleil, one of the most miserable slums in Latin America.
Exile and death
When her son was ousted from power in February 1986, Simone Duvalier joined him and his wife, Michèle Bennett, in exile in France. She was rarely seen in public. After her son's bitter divorce from his wife, Simone Duvalier lived with her son in relative poverty in the suburbs of Paris.[
She died on 26 December 1997 at the age of 84.]
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duvalier, Simone
Haitian anti-communists
1913 births
1997 deaths
First Ladies and Gentlemen of Haiti
Haitian exiles
Haitian people of Mulatto descent
Haitian Vodou practitioners
Simone
Simone may refer to:
* Simone (given name), a feminine (or Italian masculine) given name of Hebrew origin
* Simone (surname), an Italian surname
Simone may also refer to:
* ''Simone'' (1918 film), a French silent drama film
* ''Simone'' (1926 fi ...