François Denys Légitime Explained

François Denys Légitime
Office:Member of the State Council representing Sud
Term Start:June 22, 1918
Term End:June 5, 1919
Office2:14th President of Haiti
Term Start2:December 16, 1888
Term End2:August 22, 1889
Predecessor2:Pierre Théoma Boisrond-Canal
Successor2:Monpoint Jeune
Office3:Chief of the Executif Branch of Haiti
Term Start3:October 16, 1888
Term End3:December 16, 1888
Predecessor3:Pierre Théoma Boisrond-Canal
Successor3:Himself
Office4:Member of the Provisional Government of Haiti
Term Start4:September 1, 1888
Term End4:October 16, 1888
President4:Pierre Théoma Boisrond-Canal
Office5:Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship
Term Start5:September 1, 1888
Term End5:December 16, 1888
President5:Pierre Théoma Boisrond-Canal
Predecessor5:Brutus Saint-Victor
Successor5:Eugène Margron (Foreign Affairs)
Massillon Lauture (Worship)
Office6:Minister of Agriculture, Interior, Education, Worship and Justice
Term Start6:August 26, 1881
Term End6:December 31, 1881
President6:Lysius Salomon
Predecessor6:Himself (Agriculture and Interior)
Charles Archin (Education, Worship and Justice)
Successor6:François Manigat (Agriculture and Education)
Edouard Pickombe (Interior)
Thomas Madiou (Justice and Worship)
Office7:Minister of Agriculture, Finance, Commerce and Interior
Term Start7:January 9, 1881
Term End7:August 26, 1881
President7:Lysius Salomon
Predecessor7:Himself (Agriculture, Finance and Commerce)
Evarise Laroche (Interior)
Successor7:Himself (Agriculture and Interior)
Brutus Saint-Victor (Finance and Commerce)
Office8:Minister of Agriculture, Finance and Commerce
Term Start8:December 9, 1880
Term End8:January 9, 1881
President8:Lysius Salomon
Predecessor8:Evariste Laroche
Successor8:Himself
Birth Date:20 November 1841
Birth Place:Jérémie, Haiti
Death Place:Port-au-Prince
Party:Liberal Party
Spouse:Rose Marie Isaure Marion
Occupation:Military general
Birth Name:François Déus Légitime

François Denys Légitime (in French pronounced as /fʁɑ̃swa dəni leʒitim/; November 20, 1841  - July 29, 1935) was a Haitian general who served as President of Haiti from 1888 to 1889.

Biography

Légitime was born in Jérémie, Haiti, on 20 November 1841[1] to Denys Légitime and Tinette Lespérance.[2] Lespérance was a grandson of Modeste Testas.[3] Légitime married Rose-Marie Isaure Marion and had nine children: Cuvier, Edmond, Angèle, Antoinette, Denis Jr., Léon, Clemence, Marie, and Agnès.

He served as adjutant general during the government of Fabre Geffrard, and as aide-de-camp during the government of Sylvain Salnave.[2] He was Secretary of State of the Interior and then Secretary of State of the Interior and of Agriculture during the government of Lysius Salomon.[2] During this administration, Légitime was accused of aspiring to the presidency, and moved to Kingston, Jamaica, for three years.[4]

He returned to Haiti at the invitation of his followers, and on October 7, 1888, was elected president of the provisional government.[4] General Seide Thelemaque denounced the election as fraudulent and attempted to make himself President, but he was killed in the battle which ensued.[4] Légitime was elected President of Haiti on December 16, 1888, but resigned in 1889, owing to the opposition of General Florvil Hyppolite, and again retired to Jamaica.[4] In 1896 President Tiresias Simon Sam granted a general amnesty, and Légitime returned to Haiti.[4] He died on July 29, 1935 in Port-au-Prince.[5]

He wrote La nation ou la race haïtienne (1888).[6]

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Arthur Rouzier. Les belles figures de l'intelligentsia jérémienne. Publisher unknown (1986), p. 55. .
  2. http://www.haiti-reference.com/notables/getperson.php?personID=I122&tree=Politique "Légitime François Denis"
  3. Web site: Haiti - Memory : Bordeaux inaugurates the statue of a slave of the Haitian sculptor, C. Woodly - HaitiLibre.com : Haiti news 7/7. 2021-03-30. www.haitilibre.com.
  4. The Encyclopedia Americana: A Library of Universal Knowledge. Encyclopedia Americana Corp. (1919), vol. 17, pp. 255-6.
  5. Justin Chrysostome Dorsainvil. Manuel d'histoire d'Haïti. University of Texas (1958), p. 351. .
  6. Web site: "From Salomon to Légitime" by Jacques Nicolas Léger (1859-1918). https://web.archive.org/web/20220120110345/http://islandluminous.fiu.edu/part06-slide10-images.html. 2022-01-20.