List of Presidents of Haiti
Encyclopedia
This page lists the heads of state of Haiti
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...

since the beginning of the Haitian Revolution
Haitian Revolution
The Haitian Revolution was a period of conflict in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, which culminated in the elimination of slavery there and the founding of the Haitian republic...

 in 1791. Full independence of Haiti was declared in 1804.

Between 1806 and 1820 Haiti was divided between the northern State
State of Haiti
The State of Haiti was the name of the state in northern Haiti. It was created on October 17, 1806 following the overthrow of the Empire of Haiti following the assassination of Emperor Jacques I...

, later Kingdom of Haiti
Kingdom of Haiti
The Kingdom of Haiti was the state established by Henri Christophe on March 28, 1811 when he was proclaimed King Henri I having previously ruled as president. This was Haiti's second attempt at monarchal rule as Jean-Jacques Dessalines had previously ruled over the Empire of Haiti...

, and the southern Republic of Haiti.

List of heads of state of Haiti (1791–Present)

# Picture Name Began office Left office Title(s)
Toussaint Louverture 1 January 1791 6 May 1802 Leader of the Haitian Revolution
Haitian Revolution
The Haitian Revolution was a period of conflict in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, which culminated in the elimination of slavery there and the founding of the Haitian republic...

 (1 January 1791 – 6 May 1802)
Governor-General for Life
President for Life
President for Life is a title assumed by some dictators to remove their term limit, in the hope that their authority, legitimacy, and term will never be disputed....

 of Haiti (7 July 1801 – 6 May 1802)
Note: Governor-General of the entire Island of Hispaniola
Jean-Jacques Dessalines
Jean-Jacques Dessalines
Jean-Jacques Dessalines was a leader of the Haitian Revolution and the first ruler of an independent Haiti under the 1801 constitution. Initially regarded as Governor-General, Dessalines later named himself Emperor Jacques I of Haiti...

/
Jacques I
Jean-Jacques Dessalines
Jean-Jacques Dessalines was a leader of the Haitian Revolution and the first ruler of an independent Haiti under the 1801 constitution. Initially regarded as Governor-General, Dessalines later named himself Emperor Jacques I of Haiti...

1 January 1804 17 October 1806 Governor-General of Haiti (1 January 1804 – 22 September 1804)
Emperor of Haiti (22 September 1804 – 17 October 1806)
Henri Christophe
Henri Christophe
Henri Christophe was a key leader in the Haitian Revolution, winning independence from France in 1804. On 17 February 1807, after the creation of a separate nation in the north, Christophe was elected President of the State of Haiti...

/
Henri I
Henri Christophe
Henri Christophe was a key leader in the Haitian Revolution, winning independence from France in 1804. On 17 February 1807, after the creation of a separate nation in the north, Christophe was elected President of the State of Haiti...

17 October 1806 8 October 1820 Provisional Chief of the Haitian Government (17 October 1806 – 17 February 1807)
President of the State of Haiti
State of Haiti
The State of Haiti was the name of the state in northern Haiti. It was created on October 17, 1806 following the overthrow of the Empire of Haiti following the assassination of Emperor Jacques I...

 (17 February 1807 – 28 March 1811)
King of Haiti
Kingdom of Haiti
The Kingdom of Haiti was the state established by Henri Christophe on March 28, 1811 when he was proclaimed King Henri I having previously ruled as president. This was Haiti's second attempt at monarchal rule as Jean-Jacques Dessalines had previously ruled over the Empire of Haiti...

 (28 March 1811 – 8 October 1820)
Note: Rule limited to the northern Haiti
1 Alexandre Pétion
Alexandre Pétion
Alexandre Sabès Pétion was President of the Republic of Haiti from 1806 until his death. He is considered as one of Haiti's founding fathers, together with Toussaint Louverture, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, and his rival Henri Christophe.-Early life:Pétion was born in Port-au-Prince to a Haitian...

17 October 1806 29 March 1818 President
Note: Rule limited to the southern Haiti
2 Jean Pierre Boyer
Jean Pierre Boyer
Jean-Pierre Boyer , a native of Saint-Domingue, was a soldier, one of the leaders of the Haitian Revolution, and President of Haiti from 1818 to 1843. He reunited the north and south of Haiti in 1820 and also invaded and took control of Santo Domingo, which brought all of Hispaniola under one...

30 March 1818 13 February 1843 President
Note: Ruled the entire Island of Hispaniola until 1843
3 Charles Rivière-Hérard
Charles Riviere-Hérard
Charles Rivière-Hérard also known as Charles Hérard Aîné was an officer in the Haitian Army under Andre Petion during his struggles against Henri Christophe. He was declared President of Haiti on 4 April 1843. He was forced from office by revolutionaries on 3 May 1844.Charles Hérard Aîné was born...

4 April 1843 3 May 1844 President
4 Philippe Guerrier
Philippe Guerrier
Philippe Guerrier was a career officer and general in the Haïtian Army who became President of Haïti on May 3, 1844, and died in office on April 15, 1845....

3 May 1844 15 April 1845 President
5 Jean-Louis Pierrot
Jean-Louis Pierrot
Jean-Louis Pierrot was a career officer and general in the Haïtian Army. He became president of Haïti on April 16, 1845. During the first Haïtian Kingdom, Henry I promoted Pierrot to the rank of Lieutenant General in the Army and granted him the hereditary title of Prince. As President of Haïti,...

16 April 1845 24 March 1846 President
6 Jean-Baptiste Riché
Jean-Baptiste Riché
Jean-Baptiste Riché was a career officer and general in the Haïtian Army. He was made President of Haïti on March 1, 1846....

24 March 1846 28 February 1847 President
7 Faustin Soulouque
Faustin I of Haiti
Faustin I was born Faustin-Élie Soulouque. He was a career officer and general in the Haïtian army when he was elected President of Haïti in 1847. In 1849 he was proclaimed Emperor of Haïti under the name of Faustin I...

/
Faustin I
Faustin I of Haiti
Faustin I was born Faustin-Élie Soulouque. He was a career officer and general in the Haïtian army when he was elected President of Haïti in 1847. In 1849 he was proclaimed Emperor of Haïti under the name of Faustin I...

2 March 1847 22 January 1859 President of Haïti (2 March 1847 – 26 August 1849)
Emperor of Haiti (26 August 1849 – 22 January 1859)
8 Fabre Geffrard
Fabre Geffrard
Fabre-Nicholas Geffrard was a general in the Haitian army and President of Haiti from 1859 until his deposition in 1867. After collaborating in a coup to remove Faustin Soulouque from power in order to return Haiti back to social and political control of the colored elite, Geffrard was made...

22 January 1859 13 March 1867 President
Nissage Saget
Nissage Saget
Jean-Nicolas Nissage Saget succeeded Sylvain Salnave as President of Haiti in 1869. He was the first Haitian president to serve out his term of office and retire voluntarily, although his retirement led to a renewal of the political turmoil between blacks and the country's mulatto elites. He...

20 March 1867 2 May 1867 Provisional President
9 Sylvain Salnave
Sylvain Salnave
Sylvain Salnave was a Haïtian general. He was the President of Haïti from 1867 to 1869. In 1867 he was elected president after he led the overthrow of President Fabre Geffrard. During his term there were constant civil wars between the various factions.-Footnotes:...

4 May 1867 27 December 1869 President
10 Nissage Saget
Nissage Saget
Jean-Nicolas Nissage Saget succeeded Sylvain Salnave as President of Haiti in 1869. He was the first Haitian president to serve out his term of office and retire voluntarily, although his retirement led to a renewal of the political turmoil between blacks and the country's mulatto elites. He...

27 December 1869 13 May 1874 President
Council of Secretaries of State 13 May 1874 14 June 1874 Council of Secretaries of State
11 Michel Domingue
Michel Domingue
Michel Domingue was the leader of Haiti from June 14, 1874 to April 15, 1876.Michel Domingue was born in Les Cayes, Haiti in 1813. He graduated from military training and became commander of army units in the Sud Department....

14 June 1874 15 April 1876 President
12 Pierre Théoma Boisrond-Canal
Pierre Théoma Boisrond-Canal
Pierre Théoma Boisrond-Canal was a Haitian politician who served as the President of Haiti three times....

23 April 1876 17 July 1879 Provisional President (23 April 1876 – 17 July 1876)
President (17 July 1876 – 17 July 1879)
Joseph Lamothe
Joseph Lamothe
Joseph Lamothe was the provisional President of Haiti from 26 July 1879 to 2 October 1879, when he was succeeded by Lysius Salomon.Following a stormy debate in the House of Representatives on June 30, 1879, there were riots in Port-au-Prince in which the Liberal leader Jean-Pierre Boyer-Bazelais...

26 July 1879 2 October 1879 Provisional President
13 Lysius Salomon
Lysius Salomon
Lysius Salomon was the President of Haiti from . Salomon is best remembered for instituting Haiti's first postal system, and his lively enthusiasm to modernize the country.....

2 October 1879 10 August 1888 President
Pierre Théoma Boisrond-Canal
Pierre Théoma Boisrond-Canal
Pierre Théoma Boisrond-Canal was a Haitian politician who served as the President of Haiti three times....

10 August 1888 16 October 1888 Provisional President
14 François Denys Légitime
François Denys Légitime
François Denys Légitime was a Haitian general who served as President of Haiti from 1888 to 1889.Légitime was born in Jérémie, Haiti on November 20, 1841 to Denys Légitime and Tinette Lespérance...

16 October 1888 23 August 1889 President
Monpoint Jeune
Monpoint Jeune
Monpoint Jeune served as president of Haiti from 23 August to 17 October 1889. As general, he put down a revolt in March 1878 against president Pierre Théoma Boisrond-Canal. After President François Denys Légitime, he was designated on the 23 August 1889 as president of the provisional government...

23 August 1889 17 October 1889 Provisional President
15 Florvil Hyppolite
Florvil Hyppolite
Louis Mondestin Florvil Hyppolite was the President of Haiti from 17 October 1889 to 24 March 1896. He was a career soldier, a general. He was installed as president by a constitutional council....

17 October 1889 24 March 1896 President
16 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...

31 March 1896 12 May 1902 President
Pierre Théoma Boisrond-Canal
Pierre Théoma Boisrond-Canal
Pierre Théoma Boisrond-Canal was a Haitian politician who served as the President of Haiti three times....

26 May 1902 17 December 1902 Provisional President
17 Pierre Nord Alexis
Pierre Nord Alexis
Pierre Nord Alexis was President of Haiti from December 21, 1902 to December 2, 1908. He was son of Nord Alexis, a high-ranking official in the regime of Henry Christophe, and Blézine Georges, Christophe's illegitimate daughter. Alexis joined the army in the 1830s, serving President Jean-Louis...

21 December 1902 2 December 1908 President
18 François C. Antoine Simon
François C. Antoine Simon
François C. Antoine Simon was President of Haiti from 6 December 1908 to 3 August 1911. He led a rebellion against Pierre Nord Alexis and succeeded him as president.-Biography:...

6 December 1908 3 August 1911 President
19 Cincinnatus Leconte
Cincinnatus 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...

15 August 1911 8 August 1912 President
Note: Great-Grandson of Jean-Jacques Dessalines (Emperor of Haiti 1804–1806)
20 Tancrède Auguste
Tancrède Auguste
Jean Antoine Tancrède Auguste was the President of Haiti from August 8, 1912 until his death in office on May 2, 1913. He assumed the presidency the day that Cincinnatus Leconte died in office from a massive explosion that destroyed the presidential palace...

8 August 1912 2 May 1913 President
21 Michel Oreste
Michel Oreste
Michel Oreste Lafontant served as president of Haiti from May 1913 to Jan 1914. He was a reformist and was toppled by forces loyal to landowner elites such as his successor Oreste Zamor. He died in exile in New York City on October 28, 1918....

12 May 1913 27 January 1914 President
22 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....

8 February 1914 29 October 1914 President
23 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...

7 November 1914 22 February 1915 President
24 Vilbrun Guillaume Sam 25 February 1915 28 July 1915 President
Note: Son of Tirésias Simon Sam (President of Haiti 1896–1902)
25 Philippe Sudré Dartiguenave
Philippe Sudré Dartiguenave
Philippe Sudre Dartiguenave was a Haitian political figure. He served as president of Haïti from 12 August 1915 to 15 May 1922 in a government set up by the United States after its intervention began on July 27, 1915 following an uprising which resulted in the death of Jean Vilbrun Guillaume...

12 August 1915 15 May 1922 President
Note: Served under the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 occupation
26 Louis Borno
Louis Borno
Eustache Antoine Francois Joseph Louis Borno was a lawyer and Haitian politician. He served as President of the Republic of Haiti from 1922 to 1930 during the period of the American occupation of Haiti...

15 May 1922 15 May 1930 President
Note: Served under the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 occupation
27 Louis Eugène Roy
Louis Eugène Roy
Louis Eugène Roy was a prominent Haïtian banker that was selected by U.S. General John H. Russell, the American High Commissioner to Haïti, to serve as that country's interim president, following the resignation of Louis Borno. Roy served from May 15 to November 18, 1930, during which time his...

15 May 1930 18 November 1930 President
Note: Served under the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 occupation
28 Sténio Vincent
Sténio Vincent
Sténio Joseph Vincent was President of Haiti from November 18, 1930 to May 15, 1941.In October 1930 Haitians chose a national assembly for the first time since 1918, which elected Vincent as President of Haiti...

18 November 1930 15 May 1941 President
Note: Served under the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 occupation until 1934
29 Élie Lescot
Élie Lescot
Louis Élie Lescot was the President of Haiti from May 15, 1941 to January 11, 1946. He was a member of the country's light-skinned elite and used the political climate of World War II to sustain his power and ties to the United States, Haiti's powerful northern neighbor...

15 May 1941 11 January 1946 President
Franck Lavaud
Franck Lavaud
Franck Lavaud was a Haitian politician who was an acting head of state during two terms: from 11 January, 1946 until 16 August, 1946 and from 10 May, 1950 until 6 December, 1950 .- References :...

11 January 1946 16 August 1946 Chairman of the Military Executive Committee
30 Dumarsais Estimé
Dumarsais Estimé
Dumarsais Estimé served as the President of Haïti from 16 August 1946 until 10 May 1950. He was the first black head of state since the US occupation of Haiti ended in 1934.-Early life:...

16 August 1946 10 May 1950 President
Franck Lavaud
Franck Lavaud
Franck Lavaud was a Haitian politician who was an acting head of state during two terms: from 11 January, 1946 until 16 August, 1946 and from 10 May, 1950 until 6 December, 1950 .- References :...

10 May 1950 6 December 1950 Chairman of the Government Junta
31 Paul Magloire
Paul Magloire
Paul Eugène Magloire was a Haïtian military ruler from 1950 to 1956.Paul Magloire was born a general's son. In 1946 he participated in a successful coup against the president, Élie Lescot...

6 December 1950 12 December 1956 President
Joseph Nemours Pierre-Louis
Joseph Nemours Pierre-Louis
Joseph Nemours Pierre-Louis served as President of Haiti from 1956 to 1957.Pierre-Louis, who studied physics and law, was first a professor of physics at the Lycee Philippe Guerrier. After working as a law professor from 1928 to 1937, he became a judge of the Municipal Court of Cap-Haitien...

12 December 1956 3 February 1957 Provisional President
Franck Sylvain
Franck Sylvain
Franck Sylvain served as President of Haiti in 1957.Sylvain was born August 3, 1909 in Grand-Goâve, Haiti. Before his political career, he received a law degree and worked as a lawyer. In 1934, he was the founder of the anti-Communist newspaper "The Crusade"...

7 February 1957 2 April 1957 Provisional President
Executive Government Council 2 April 1957 25 May 1957 Executive Government Council
Daniel Fignolé
Daniel Fignolé
Daniel Fignolé was a Haitian politician who became Haiti's provisional head of state for three weeks in 1957. He was one of the most influential leaders in the pre-Duvalier era, a liberal labor organizer in Port-au-Prince so popular among urban workers that he could call upon them at a moment's...

25 May 1957 14 June 1957 Provisional President
Antonio Thrasybule Kebreau
Antonio Thrasybule Kebreau
Antonio Thrasybule Kebreau was Chairman of the Military Council and President of the Republic of Haiti from 14 June - 22 October 1957. His short reign followed that of Daniel Fignolé and preceded that of Dr. François "Papa Doc" Duvalier....

14 June 1957 22 October 1957 Chairman of the Military Council
32 François Duvalier
François Duvalier
François Duvalier was the President of Haiti from 1957 until his death in 1971. Duvalier first won acclaim in fighting diseases, earning him the nickname "Papa Doc" . He opposed a military coup d'état in 1950, and was elected President in 1957 on a populist and black nationalist platform...

22 October 1957 21 April 1971 President (22 October 1957 – 22 June 1964)
President for Life (22 June 1964 – 21 April 1971)
33 Jean-Claude Duvalier
Jean-Claude Duvalier
Jean-Claude Duvalier, nicknamed "Bébé Doc" or "Baby Doc" was the President of Haiti from 1971 until his overthrow by a popular uprising in 1986. He succeeded his father, François "Papa Doc" Duvalier, as the ruler of Haiti upon his father's death in 1971...

21 April 1971 7 February 1986 President for Life
34 Henri Namphy
Henri Namphy
Henri Namphy was a Haitian general and political figure. He served as President of Haiti's interim ruling body, the National Council of Government, from 7 February 1986 to 7 February 1988...

7 February 1986 7 February 1988 President
35 Leslie Manigat
Leslie Manigat
Leslie François Saint Roc Manigat was elected president of Haiti by a tightly controlled military held election in January 1988.-In education:...

7 February 1988 20 June 1988 President
36 Henri Namphy
Henri Namphy
Henri Namphy was a Haitian general and political figure. He served as President of Haiti's interim ruling body, the National Council of Government, from 7 February 1986 to 7 February 1988...

20 June 1988 17 September 1988 President
37 Prosper Avril
Prosper Avril
Prosper Avril is a Haitian political figure who was President of Haiti from 1988 to 1990. A trusted member of François Duvalier's Presidential Guard and adviser to Jean-Claude Duvalier, Lt. Gen. Avril led the September 1988 Haitian coup d'état against a transition military government installed...

17 September 1988 10 March 1990 President
Hérard Abraham
Hérard Abraham
-Life:Abraham enlisted in the Haïtian army as a young man. He rose to the rank of lieutenant general and became one of the few military members in the inner circle of President Jean-Claude Duvalier. Abraham supported the 1986 coup against Duvalier, and served as foreign minister for the first time...

10 March 1990 13 March 1990 Acting President
Ertha Pascal-Trouillot
Ertha Pascal-Trouillot
Ertha Pascal-Trouillot was the provisional President of Haiti from 1990 through 1991. She was the first woman in Haitian history to hold that office.-Background:...

13 March 1990 7 February 1991 Acting President
38 Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide is a Haitian former Catholic priest and politician who served as Haiti's first democratically elected president. A proponent of liberation theology, Aristide was appointed to a parish in Port-au-Prince in 1982 after completing his studies...

7 February 1991 30 September 1991 President
Raoul Cédras
Raoul Cédras
Raoul Cédras is a former military officer, and was de facto ruler of Haiti from 1991 to 1994.-Background:Cédras was educated in the United States and was a member of the US-trained Leopard Corps...

30 September 1991 8 October 1991 Acting President
Note: Leader of the Military Junta 1991 until 12 October 1994
Joseph Nérette
Joseph Nerette
Joseph Nérette was a Haïtian judge and political figure. He served as the provisional president of Haïti between 1991 and 1992, part of a period in which real political authority rested with the military junta headed by Raoul Cédras and Michel François.He died of lung cancer in Port-au-Prince on...

8 October 1991 19 June 1992 Provisional President
Marc Louis Bazin 19 June 1992 15 June 1993 Acting President
39 Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide is a Haitian former Catholic priest and politician who served as Haiti's first democratically elected president. A proponent of liberation theology, Aristide was appointed to a parish in Port-au-Prince in 1982 after completing his studies...

15 June 1993 12 May 1994 President
Note: In exile, but recognized in Haiti
Émile Jonassaint
Émile Jonassaint
Émile Jonassaint was a Haïtian Supreme Court Justice and political figure.He served as Haiti's President of the Constituent Assembly during the 1987 Constitution....

12 May 1994 12 October 1994 Provisional President
40 Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide is a Haitian former Catholic priest and politician who served as Haiti's first democratically elected president. A proponent of liberation theology, Aristide was appointed to a parish in Port-au-Prince in 1982 after completing his studies...

12 October 1994 7 February 1996 President
41 René Préval
René Préval
René Garcia Préval is a Haitian politician and agronomist who was the President of the Republic of Haiti from 14 May 2006 to 14 May 2011. He previously served as President from February 7, 1996, to February 7, 2001, and as Prime Minister from February 1991 to October 11, 1991.-Early life and...

7 February 1996 7 February 2001 President
42 Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide is a Haitian former Catholic priest and politician who served as Haiti's first democratically elected president. A proponent of liberation theology, Aristide was appointed to a parish in Port-au-Prince in 1982 after completing his studies...

7 February 2001 29 February 2004 President
Boniface Alexandre
Boniface Alexandre
Boniface Alexandre is a politician in Haïti. He served as acting president of Haïti from 2004 to 2006. The 2004 Haitian coup d'état removed President Jean-Bertrand Aristide from the Americas on February 29, 2004...

29 February 2004 14 May 2006 Provisional President
43 René Préval
René Préval
René Garcia Préval is a Haitian politician and agronomist who was the President of the Republic of Haiti from 14 May 2006 to 14 May 2011. He previously served as President from February 7, 1996, to February 7, 2001, and as Prime Minister from February 1991 to October 11, 1991.-Early life and...

14 May 2006 14 May 2011 President
44 Michel Martelly 14 May 2011 Incumbent President

See also

  • President of Haiti
    President of Haiti
    The President of the Republic of Haiti is the head of state of Haiti. Executive power in Haiti is divided between the president and the government headed by the Prime Minister of Haiti...

  • Prime Minister of Haiti
    Prime Minister of Haiti
    The Prime Minister of the Republic of Haiti is the head of government of Haiti. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President and ratified by the National Assembly. He or she appoints the Ministers and Secretaries of State and goes before the National Assembly to obtain a vote of confidence for...

  • List of Haitian consorts
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK