Alexandre Pétion

Alexandre Sabès, known as Pétion (April 2nd, 1770 - March 29th, 1818) was President of the Republic to the capacity in the south of Haiti since 1806 until its death.

Pétion was born with Port-au-Prince, wire of black and a white French. It is sent in France in 1788 to study with the Military academy with Paris. Of return to its native island, it takes part in the expulsion campaign of the Britannique S (1798 - 1799). It takes the party of André Rigaud, chief of the free Coloured persons, against All Saints' day Louverture during the Guerre of the Knives, which starts in June 1799. As of November, the faction mulatto is wedged with the strategically important port of Jacmel, on the southernmost coast. It is Pétion which takes the head of defense; Jean-Jacques Dessalines directs the attack. The fall of Jacmel, March 1800, indeed finishes the revolt and Pétion and other leaders of color exile themselves in France.

In February 1802, it turns over to Saint-Domingue with Jean Pierre Boyer, Rigaud, and an army of 12.000 French under the order of Charles Leclerc, brother-in-law of Napoleon Bonaparte. Following the treason which delivers All Saints' day to the French, Pétion adopts the nationalist forces in October 1802 (because of the secret conference with Arcahaie) and gives its support for Dessalines. The general Clairveaux is the principal assistant of Pétion at that time. The force expeditionary is crushed the October 17th 1803, and Haiti becomes an independent republic on January 1st 1804. Dessalines is made life president, then crowns Empereur the October 6th 1804.

Pétion is among those which preach the assassination of the Emperor in October 1806, and thereafter he asserts the liberal democracy against Henri Christophe. Christophe, elected president, breaks with the Senate controls by Pétion, and Haiti is divided in fact into two States. The Senate which does not recognize any more Christophe as president, elects Pétion in its place. A ridiculous war continues until in 1810 - Christophe will control north (traditional stronghold of the radical black factions) while Pétion remains supreme in the south (where the coloured persons are enracinés).

Recognizing the aspiration of the peasants (former slaves) to being owners, Pétion seizes the plantations by making them divide among its supporteurs and the people. This action is worth to him until today the praises of the poor like Papa Good-Kè (Dad Good-Heart). However, the Haitian economy, founded on the export of sugar and the coffee, is revertir itself with the autarky and the agriculture of the subsistence.

It establishes the Lycée Pétion in Port-au-Prince. In 1815, Pétion gives asylum to Simón Bolívar (driven out for the moment of the Venezuela) and gives him materials to take again its release campaign. It stipulates only that Bolívar makes to émanciper the slaves of all the released grounds.

In theory in favor of the constitutional democracy, Pétion will less and less support the constraints imposed by the Senate. Thus, in 1816 it proclaims life president; in 1818 it suspends the legislature.

Pétion dies of the Yellow fever in 1818; its protected Jean Pierre Boyer succeeds to him.

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