Dumarsais Estimé

Dumarsais Estimé (April 21, 1900 – July 20, 1953) was a Haitian politician and President of the Haitian Republic from August 16, 1946, to May 10, 1950.\Previously, he was a member of the Parliament for Verrettes for 16 years, as well as President of the Chamber and Minister (Secretary of State) for Public Education, Agriculture, and Labor.

Dumarsais Estimé's political ideology is a mixture of nationalism and progressivism. This ideology is called estimism. He advocated for collaborationism with the bourgeoisie, centralization policies, nationalization and liberalization economic policies.

The memory of his presidency remains very prominent among many Haitians due to the reforms undertaken and the undeniable economic and social progress that the Republic of Haiti experienced during this era. Among his more notable achievements are things such as the International Exhibition organized in 1949 to commemorate the bicentenary of the founding of Port-au-Prince in 1749 by the French colonists from the island of Santo Domingo (Le Livre Bleu), the expansion of the city of Belladère along the Dominican Republic border as a symbol of development, and the construction of a suspension bridge over the Grande-Anse River which still continues to serve region as river crossing to this day. It is important to also remember the laws passed and the investments made for the development of rural areas, the construction of many schools and the modernization of the whole education system, as well as the protection of workers’ rights through the Labor Code and ultimately the creation of proper conditions for economic growth, mostly in tourism and small industry sectors. During this period, there was also significant improvement in the living conditions of the Haitian population.

In May 1950, a coup d’état organized by a military junta overthrew the government of Estimé and placed its leader, Paul Magloire, as head of the country, where he would be elected to the presidency in October 1950. Estimé was shortly deposed and exiled by the Haitian army led by Franck Lavaud. After traveling in France, Jamaica, and the USA, he died in New York on July 20, 1953. Estimé was the last president to be constitutionally elected to office by the Chamber of Deputies, whereas Magloire was the first to be elected to office by universal adult male suffrage.

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