Michel Domingue was the President of Haiti from 14 June 1874 to 15 April 1876.

Early life

Michelle Domingue was born in Les Cayes om 28 July 1813.

Career

Domingue, above all things, was a soldier; he possessed neither the penetration nor the tact of a statesman. He became the the commander of the Haitian Army units in the Sud Department. On 11 June 1874 General Michele Domingue was elected President of Haiti for an 8 years term. As primarily soldier, Michele had neither the stature, nor the tact of a statesman. Therefore he considered it wiser to leave the care of of the public affairs to someone he thought had the capacity to do so. He appointed his nephew Septimus Rameau as his Vice-President.

From 14 June 1874 to 15 April 1876 Michele Domingue was the President of Haiti.

One of Michele's first act as president was to sign an agreement with the Dominican Republic. The agreement established the countries' mutual recognition and an end to the long and bloody border war between them. Haiti recognized and accepted the independence of the Dominican Republic, with the treaty of friendship that was signed on 20 January 1875 between both countries. Under the presidency of Michele Domingue, Haiti's domestic financial situation was devastating. Domingue tried to negotiate a loan with France, which would strain the coming years. Foreign bankers and unscrupulous agents conspired in defrauding the Republic, which has made the debtor for money from which others had profited.

The Haitian population was grossly deceived by this scandalous financial transaction. The Vice-President Septimus Rameau was accused of being responsible for the deaths of two general. He was later assassinated on a street in Port-au-Prince.

Death

Domingue resigned on 15 April 1876 and went into exile in Kingston, Jamaica. He died a year later on 24 May 1877, aged 63.