René Coicou (30 May 1935 – 2 March 2020) was a

Haitian-Canadian Haitian Canadians () are Canadians of Haitian descent or Haiti-born people who reside in Canada. As of 2016, more than 86% of Haitian Canadians reside in Quebec. Haitian migration to Canada Immigration 1960–1980 Immigration from Haiti to ...

politician, who served as the last mayor of

Gagnon, Quebec Gagnon () is a ghost town on Barbel Lake, formerly a mining town, in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada. History Gagnon was founded by the Québec Cartier Mining Company for the purposes of mining iron ore at Jeannine Lake. In the winter o ...

from 1973 to 1985, making him the first black mayor in

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

Biography

In 1957, Coicou fled

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

during the regime of

François Duvalier François Duvalier (; 14 April 190721 April 1971), also known as Papa Doc, was a Haiti, Haitian politician and Haitian Vodou, Vodouisant who served as the president of Haiti from 1957 until his death in 1971. He was elected president in the 195 ...

. He moved to Canada and settled in

Montreal, Quebec Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, at the age of 22. He studied mechanics, and was hired by Québec Cartier Mining, leading him to Gagnon, a mining town in the

Côte-Nord Côte-Nord (Region 09) (, ; ) is an List of regions of Quebec, administrative region of Quebec, on the Quebec-Labrador peninsula, Quebec-Labrador Peninsula, Canada. The region runs along the St. Lawrence River and then the Gulf of St. Lawrence, ...

region. He soon became a highly respected member of the mining community, and, after advice from his friends, Coicou ran for mayor in 1973. He was elected, and reelected in the following two elections. However, after an economic collapse due to poor output from the mines, Coicou had to announce to the town's 2000 residents that Gagnon would officially be closed on 30 June 1985.

References

1935 births 2020 deaths Haitian emigrants to Canada 20th-century mayors of places in Quebec Haitian Quebecers Black Canadian politicians {{Quebec-mayor-stub