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1874-06-14

1874-06-14: (Michel Domingue Becomes President, Appointing His Despotic Nephew Septimus Rameau to Run the Government, a Figurehead Presidency That Would End …

Haitian

1874-06-14: (Michel Domingue Becomes President, Appointing His Despotic Nephew Septimus Rameau to Run the Government, a Figurehead Presidency That Would End With Rameau Torn Apart by a Mob on the Streets of Port-au-Prince): On June 14, 1874, Michel Domingue was elected president of Haiti. Born on July 28, 1813, in Les Cayes, Domingue was a Black army officer who had participated in the overthrow of Salnave and subsequently supported Nissage Saget’s presidency. A new constitution extended the presidential term from four to eight years. Lacking the skills or inclination to govern, Domingue appointed his despotic nephew Septimus Rameau to carry out the duties of running the government. Rameau surrounded himself with Black advisors, alienating the mulatto elite, and governed with authoritarian brutality. On January 20, 1875, Haiti signed a treaty of friendship and trade with the Dominican Republic that officially recognized Dominican independence for the first time, ending the diplomatic stalemate that had persisted since 1844. But domestic opposition mounted. In early 1876, insurrection erupted. On April 15, Domingue, Rameau, and their wives fled the National Palace escorted by foreign diplomats. Before they reached the safety of the French embassy, Rameau was killed by an angry mob on the streets of Port-au-Prince. Domingue escaped to Jamaica with French assistance, where he died on June 24, 1877.