Philippe Guerrier was a career officer and general in the Haïtian Army who became President of Haïti on 3 May 1844, and died in office on 15 April 1845.

Early life

Jean-Jacques Louis Philippe Guerrier was born on 19 December 1757 in Grande-Rivière-du-Nord, Saint-Domingue

Career

A respected soldier, Guerrier had successfully commanded the southern black army during the Haïtian Revolution. After Haïti became independent, he retired from active service and became a plantation owner. King Henry I gave him the hereditary title of Duke of l'Avancé.

In 1844, discontent erupted among rural farmers and cultivaters over economic conditions within the country. These disaffected groups formed bands of brave men known as piquets. The piquets were gradually brought under the command of a former army officer, Louis Jean-Jacques Acaau, who used them to disrupt government control over the south of Haïti. Eventually with their increasing success, the piquets formed political aspirations. The foremost of these were the dismantling of mulatto power over the government and a return to black rule. These goals were believed to have been met when in May 1844, President Rivière-Hérard was removed from office by the Mulatto hierarchy and replaced with the aged black general, Philippe Guerrier, who assumed the Presidency on 3 May 1844.

Death

Guerrier held office for only 11 months before he died on 15 April 1845. He was 87.