Michel Domingue

M. Domingue

Michel Domingue (* 1813 in Les Cayes , † May 24, 1877 in Kingston , Jamaica ) was a Haitian politician and President of Haiti .

biography

Military and political career

After school he completed military training and rose to general and commander of the army units in the Sud department . From May 8, 1868 to December 1869, he was president of the independent southern state of Haiti.

After the continuation of the entire Haitian republic, he was appointed vice president on December 27, 1869 by President Nissage Saget , who had previously been president of the also independent northern republic. Saget later appointed him commander in chief of the army, so that he moved his headquarters from Les Cayes to Port-au-Prince . He also relocated a large proportion of the units led in the capital so that his opponents had to realize that he would run for the upcoming presidential election himself.

After the loss of power of Saget on May 13, 1874, the Council of State Secretaries, which formed the Provisional Government, eased Domingue's candidacy. Since the National Assembly, consisting of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, did not have a sufficient majority at its meetings ( quorum ), the Council of State Secretaries relieved the two chambers of parliament of their powers, which made it necessary to elect a constituent assembly. For this reason, the Council of State Secretaries also repealed the constitution, from which it ultimately derived its powers. Although this led to a tense domestic political situation, the elections were carried out quickly.

President 1874 to 1876

On June 11, 1874, General Domingue was elected President of Haiti for an eight-year term.

Domingue, who was primarily a soldier, had neither the assertiveness nor the tact of a statesman. Therefore, it made more sense to perform the public duties to Septimus Rameau, a nephew, whom he had appointed by decree of September 10, 1874 as Vice-President of the Council of State Secretaries. This made Rameau the actual ruler of Haiti. The constitution, which was adopted on August 6, 1874, already bore his signature. Unfortunately, Rameau was dictatorial and dominant in nature, so his views became the highest standard, while Domingue was more of a figurehead.

Foreign policy events

One of his first acts after his election as president was the signing of an agreement with the Dominican Republic , but ratification of which was rejected by the National Assembly. The content of the agreement was mutual recognition and, in particular, an end to the long bloody border conflicts between the two states. Vice President Rameau also held negotiations with the then President of the Dominican Republic Ignacio María González . President Domingue's chief of staff, General N. Leger, was sent to Santo Domingo to prepare for the conclusion of a new agreement. On his return to Port-au-Prince he was accompanied by Dominican negotiators who on November 9, 1874 approved a friendship, trade and shipping treaty. Haiti also accepted this and recognized the full independence of the Dominican Republic, so that it was signed on January 20, 1875. Since then, diplomatic relations with the neighboring state have been far more peaceful.

During the same year, 1874, a treaty was signed with Great Britain on the exchange of escaped offenders.

The Domingue Loan and the Assassination of Generals Brice and Pierre

In addition to these positive foreign policy successes, there were also difficulties during his term of office.

In August 1874 and February 1875, loans were taken out in France, which was to put a considerable strain on Haiti's financial situation in the coming years and amounted to a fraud . Foreign bankers and finance brokers were involved in this fraud, which led to even greater criticism of the foreign country from Haitians. However, Domingue tried to prevent any negative remarks against the borrowing by decree of May 15, 1875, ordering the arrest of Generals Brice, Pierre Monplaisir Pierre, his opponent in the presidential elections in 1874, and Pierre Théoma Boisrond-Canal , who were responsible for borrowing criticized. Monplaisir Pierre offered armed resistance when he was arrested and was fatally wounded. General Brice was able to escape initially, but was then also killed shortly before fleeing to the Spanish consulate . Boisrond Canal, who was living on his plantation in Frères near Pétionville at the time, was able to flee to the US embassy .

Although the tragic death of Generals Brice and Pierre led to a domestic political crisis, the government did nothing to alleviate the situation, but instead forced many citizens, including Boisrond Canal, to flee Haiti. This led to further unrest in many parts of the country, but particularly in the capital Port-au-Prince when it became known that the government was moving the money in the Bank of Haiti's custody account abroad. This was the cash reserve for founding a central bank, which had not yet been spent because the US citizen AH Lazare, who was contractually obliged to do so with the organization, had not yet fulfilled his contractual obligation. Instead, Vice President Rameau wanted to transfer this money to southern Haiti in order to quell the uprisings in Les Cayes , which did not happen after the unrest broke out in the capital.

In the weeks that followed, by April 15, 1876, this anti-government uprising reached the proportions of a nationwide movement. Septimus Rameau, who was held responsible in particular for the murder of Generals Brice and Pierre, but also for the fraudulent borrowing in Paris, was shortly afterwards murdered on the street in Port-au-Prince.

After his resignation on April 15, 1876, President Domingue managed to escape to the French embassy; soon afterwards he went into exile in Kingston (Jamaica) , where he died a little over a year later.

Individual evidence

Web links

predecessor	Office	successor
Council of State Secretaries	President of Haiti June 14, 1874 - April 23, 1876	Pierre Théoma Boisrond Canal

personal data
SURNAME	Domingue, Michel
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	President of Haiti
DATE OF BIRTH	1813
PLACE OF BIRTH	Les Cayes
DATE OF DEATH	May 24, 1877
Place of death	Kingston , Jamaica

[1] Haiti, in: rulers.org

[2] "Hayti Triumph Of The Revolution; The Preparation To Attack Of Port-au-Prince; Revival Of Business; Issue Of Paper Money" , New York Times December 9, 1869

[3] The Disturbances In Hayti; Attempted Assassination Of President Domingue - The Difficulties Which Followed - Order Restored. In: New York Times , May 16, 1875.