Paul Magloire

Paul Magloire
35th President of Haiti
In office December 6, 1950 – December 12, 1956
Preceded by	Franck Lavaud
Succeeded by	Joseph Nemours Pierre-Louis (provisional)
Minister of Interior and Defence
In office May 12, 1950 – August 3, 1950
President	Franck Lavaud
Preceded by	Louis Raymond
Succeeded by	Luc E. Fouché
Member of the Government Junta of Haiti
In office May 10, 1950 – December 6, 1950
President	Franck Lavaud
Minister of Interior and Defence
In office January 12, 1946 – August 16, 1946
President	Franck Lavaud
Preceded by	Vély Thébaud
Succeeded by	Georges Honorat
Member of the Executive Military Committee
In office January 11, 1946 – August 16, 1946
President	Franck Lavaud
Personal details
Born	July 19, 1907 Verrettes, Haiti
Died	July 12, 2001 (aged 93) Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Nationality	Haitian
Spouse(s)	Yolette Leconte

Paul Eugène Magloire (19 July 1907 – 12 July 2001) 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 President Élie Lescot. When his successor, 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 Magloire's rule, Haïti became a favorite tourist spot for US and European tourists. His anti-communist position also gained favorable reception from the US government. Notably, 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 having a vivid social life, staging numerous parties, social events, and ceremonies.

In 1954, when Hurricane Hazel ravaged Haïti 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 Haïtian citizenship.

In 1986, when Baby Doc Duvalier lost power, Magloire returned to Haïti from New York. Two years later he became an unofficial army advisor. He died in 2001.

Further reading

• Nicholls, David (1979). From Dessalines to Duvalier: Race, Colour, and National Independence in Haiti. ISBN 978-0813522401 (rev. ed.). 
• Trouillot, Michel-Rolph (1989). Haiti: State Against Nation. Monthly Review Press. ISBN 978-0853457558, ISBN 978-0853457565 (pbk). 

Preceded by Franck Lavaud

President of Haïti 1950-1956

Succeeded by Joseph Nemours Pierre-Louis