Paul Magloire


Paul Eugène Magloire, nicknamed Kanson Fe, was a Haitian president from 1950 to 1956.

Life and career

Paul was the son of General Eugene Francois Magloire, a high-ranking general. He was born in Quartier Morin in 1907 and raised in Cap-Haitien. He attended Lycee Philippe Guerrier. He married Yolette Leconte in 1936, a direct descendant of Jean-Jacques Dessalines. He joined the army in 1930. He became Police Chief of Port-au-Prince in 1944. In 1946 he participated in a successful coup against President Élie Lescot. When his predecessor, President Dumarsais Estimé, tried to extend his term of office in 1950, Magloire ousted him with the help of a local elite and took power.
During his rule, Haiti became a tourist spot for American and European tourists. His anti-communist position also gained favorable reception from the US government. In addition, he used revenues from the sale of coffee to repair towns, build roads, public buildings, and a dam. He also oversaw the institution of women's suffrage. Magloire was very fond of a vivid social life, staging numerous parties, social events, and ceremonies.
In 1954, when Hurricane Hazel ravaged Haiti and relief funds were stolen, Magloire's popularity fell. In 1956 there was a dispute about when his presidency would end; he fled the country amid strikes and demonstrations. When François Duvalier took the presidency, he stripped Magloire of his Haitian citizenship.
In 1986, when Duvalier's son and successor Jean-Claude lost power, Magloire returned to Haiti from New York City. Two years later he became an unofficial army advisor. He died in 2001. He was married to Yolette Leconte until her death in 1981.