1862-June-05: Following the passage of the recognition act, President Lincoln appointed Benjamin Whidden of New Hampshire as the first formal Commissioner an…

1862-June-05: Following the passage of the recognition act, President Lincoln appointed Benjamin Whidden of New Hampshire as the first formal Commissioner and Consul General of the United States to Haiti. Whidden’s arrival in Port-au-Prince marked the official end of the era of “secret agents” and “commercial agents” who lacked diplomatic standing. For the first time, a representative of the United States could communicate directly and officially with the Haitian government, placing the two nations on a footing of sovereign equality. This appointment was a significant victory for the Republican administration’s wartime foreign policy and Northern commercial interests.