Jean Vilbrun Guillaume Sam
Encyclopedia
Jean Vilbrun Guillaume Sam (1859 - July 28, 1915) was President of Haïti
from March 4 to July 27, 1915. He was a son of Tirésias Simon Sam
, Haiti's president from 1896 to 1902.
to power. He later headed the revolt that toppled President Oreste Zamor
. Sam was proclaimed president when his predecessor, Joseph Davilmar Théodore
, was forced to resign on February 25, 1915, when he was unable to pay the militiamen (called "Cacos") who had helped him overthrow Zamor.
As the fifth president in five turbulent years, Sam was forced to contend with a revolt against his own regime, led by Dr. Rosalvo Bobo, who opposed the government's expanded commercial and strategic ties with the United States
. Fearing that he would share the same fate as his predecessors, Sam acted harshly against his political opponents, particularly the better educated and wealthier mulatto
population. The epitome of his repressive measures came on July 27, 1915, when he ordered the execution of 167 political prisoners, including former president Zamor, who was being held in a Port-au-Prince
jail. This infuriated the population, which rose up against Sam's government as soon as news of the executions reached them.
Sam fled to the French
embassy, where he received asylum. After burying their children and still dressed in black frocks, however, the rebels' mulatto leaders broke into the embassy and finally found Sam hiding in a toilet. They beat him to death and threw his limp body over the embassy's iron fence to the waiting populace, who then ripped his cadaver to pieces and paraded the parts through the capital's neighborhoods. For the next two weeks, the country was in chaos.
News of the murder soon reached the American Navy
ships anchored in the city's harbor, and Washington D.C.. President Woodrow Wilson
, who was wary about the turn of events in Haïti, and especially the possibility that Bobo would take power, ordered American troops to seize the capital, claiming that the unrest might precipitate a German
invasion of the country. They landed the next day, on July 28, and continued to occupy the country for nineteen years, until August 1934.
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
from March 4 to July 27, 1915. He was a son of Tirésias Simon Sam
Tirésias Simon Sam
Tirésias Antoine Auguste Simon Sam was the President of Haiti from 31 March 1896 to 12 May 1902. He resigned the presidency just before completing his six-year term. A likeness of Simon Sam has been featured on several Haitian postage stamps...
, Haiti's president from 1896 to 1902.
Presidency
Sam was the commander of Haiti's Northern Division when he led the revolt that brought President Cincinnatus LeconteCincinnatus Leconte
Jean-Jacques Dessalines Michel Cincinnatus Leconte was President of Haiti from August 15, 1911 until his death on August 8, 1912. He was a great-grandson of Jean-Jacques Dessalines—a former African slave who briefly held power as Emperor of Haiti—and an uncle of Joseph Laroche, the only black...
to power. He later headed the revolt that toppled President Oreste Zamor
Oreste Zamor
Emmanuel Oreste Zamor served as president of Haiti from Feb to Oct 1914. The following year, he was assassinated on orders of President Vilbrun Guillaume Sam....
. Sam was proclaimed president when his predecessor, Joseph Davilmar Théodore
Joseph Davilmar Théodore
Joseph Davilmar Théodore was President of Haïti from November 7, 1914 to February 22, 1915. Born in the town of Ennery in the northern half of the country, he began his career in the military, and organized the cacao farmers of the north in the revolt against President Oreste Zamor...
, was forced to resign on February 25, 1915, when he was unable to pay the militiamen (called "Cacos") who had helped him overthrow Zamor.
As the fifth president in five turbulent years, Sam was forced to contend with a revolt against his own regime, led by Dr. Rosalvo Bobo, who opposed the government's expanded commercial and strategic ties with the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Fearing that he would share the same fate as his predecessors, Sam acted harshly against his political opponents, particularly the better educated and wealthier mulatto
Mulatto
Mulatto denotes a person with one white parent and one black parent, or more broadly, a person of mixed black and white ancestry. Contemporary usage of the term varies greatly, and the broader sense of the term makes its application rather subjective, as not all people of mixed white and black...
population. The epitome of his repressive measures came on July 27, 1915, when he ordered the execution of 167 political prisoners, including former president Zamor, who was being held in a Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
jail. This infuriated the population, which rose up against Sam's government as soon as news of the executions reached them.
Sam fled to the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
embassy, where he received asylum. After burying their children and still dressed in black frocks, however, the rebels' mulatto leaders broke into the embassy and finally found Sam hiding in a toilet. They beat him to death and threw his limp body over the embassy's iron fence to the waiting populace, who then ripped his cadaver to pieces and paraded the parts through the capital's neighborhoods. For the next two weeks, the country was in chaos.
News of the murder soon reached the American Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
ships anchored in the city's harbor, and Washington D.C.. President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
, who was wary about the turn of events in Haïti, and especially the possibility that Bobo would take power, ordered American troops to seize the capital, claiming that the unrest might precipitate a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
invasion of the country. They landed the next day, on July 28, and continued to occupy the country for nineteen years, until August 1934.
Legacy
- His chief of police Charles Oscar Etienne, who cleaned out the jails by executing his political opponents, inspired the boogeymen Haitian carnival disguises known as "Chaloska".