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Birth
Francois Duvalier (Papa Doc) was born April, 14th 1907 Port-au-Prince, Haiti. His grandfather had been a tailor. His father was a school teacher and municipal court judge. -
Period: to
Francois Duvalier (Papa Doc)
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Haitian intellectual Griot movement
He was one of the founders of the Haitian intellectual Griot movement of the 1930s. Which the members celebrated their African ways. Also, they would do voodoo as an important element of Haitian culture. -
Graduated
Papa Doc graduated in 1934 from the Haitian National University Medical school. Also in 1934 he was a contributor to the daily Action National, he was very influenced by the scholar Lorimer Denis and became a member of Le Groupe des Griots. Which was a circle of writers who embraced black nationalism and voodoo as the main sources of Haitian culture. -
Marrige and kids
In 1939 he married Simone Ovide a nurse, and they had three daughters and a son. They were named Simone Duvalier(Daughter), Nicole Duvalier(Daughter), Marie-Denise Duvalier(Daughter), and Jean-Claude Duvalier(Son). -
Yaws
“Papa” was active in sanitary programs in Haiti by the U.S. army during World War II (1939 to 1945). He did this to prevent yaws. Yaws is a chronic bacterial infection that affects the skin, bone, and cartilage. -
University of Michigan
In 1944 to 1945 he studied at University of Michigan. After returning to Haiti, he became minister of health and labor in the government of President Dumarsais Estimé, who once taught him in high school. -
Campaigns
Duvalier returned to the practice of medicine in 1950. Especially for the campaigns to prevent yaws and other diseases. This happened After opposing the takeover of the government by Paul Magloire. -
Elections
Through the late 1950s to the middle 1960s “The Bogeymen” continued to grow and were responsible for terrorizing and assassinating anyone thought to be an opponent of Papa. In the 1961 elections Papa altered the ballots to have his name placed at the top. Afterward he announced that his victory gave him another six years in office -
Cuba began to harbor Haitian refugees
After Fidel Castro (1927-) came to power in Cuba. Cuba began to harbor Haitian refugees who had escaped the extremely harsh conditions of the Duvalier government. In addition to this, General Rafael Trujillo (1891 to 1961), dictator of the Dominican Republic and enemy of Castro, feared a Cuban invasion through Haiti.This concern led to Dominican interference in Haitian affairs. -
after the election
After the election of 1961 and the continuation of Papa’s rule in 1963, many observers felt it was only a matter of time before Papa moved to have himself installed as permanent Haitian president. On April 1, 1964, that’s what happened. The Legislative Chamber, which did whatever Papa wanted, rewrote the 1957 constitution, making a point of changing Article 197 so that Duvalier could be declared president for life. A "vote" on the new constitution was held, and on June 22, 1964, Duvalier was off -
Death
During the 1960s he survived several damaging hurricanes and numerous attempts to overthrow him. Papa began suffering from heart disease and other health problems. In January 1971 he Made the National Assembly to change the constitution to allow his son, Jean Claude Duvalier (1951–), to succeed him. Duvalier died on April 21, 1971, and his son immediately took over.
