Andre Rigaud

André Rigaud , 1761-1811, Haitian mulatto general in the wars that liberated Haiti. Educated, but vain, he believed in the superiority of mulattoes. He sought (1798-1800) unsuccessfully to wrest the leadership from Toussaint L'Ouverture . In 1802 he went to France, returned with General Leclerc, and was sent back again as a prisoner. In 1810, once again on Haitian soil, he tried to overthrow Alexandre Pétion in the south. Defeated, he died, presumably by starving himself to death.

Jean Pierre Boyer , 1776-1850, president of Haiti (1818-43). A free mulatto, he fought under Toussaint L'Ouverture and then joined André Rigaud , also a mulatto, in the latter's abortive insurrection against Toussaint. He returned in 1802 with the French army of Charles Leclerc but later joined the patriots under Alexandre Pétion , who chose him as his successor. He united N and S Haiti after the suicide of Henri Christophe (1820), and in 1822, taking advantage of the weakness of Spanish Santo Domingo, he took control of the whole island. Compulsory labor was instituted. In 1825 a French fleet forced Boyer to pay an exorbitant indemnity in return for French losses; France then recognized Haitian independence. Financial embarrassment, combined with the labor policy and the devastation of an earthquake in 1843, brought about Boyer's overthrow and permanent exile.

Jean Jacques Dessalines , c.1758-1806, emperor of Haiti (1804-6), born a slave. A shrewd general, he served under Toussaint L'Ouverture in the wars that liberated Haiti. His barbaric cruelty against the mulattoes whom Toussaint was unable to control led to a bitter struggle with the mulatto leaders André Rigaud and Alexandre Pétion . In 1802 Dessalines fought brilliantly against the French, whose forces were led by Gen. Charles Leclerc, earning the nickname of the Tiger. After the decimation of the French army by yellow fever and the capture of Toussaint, he revolted and overwhelmed the invaders in 1803. Independence was declared Jan. 1, 1804, at Gonaïves and Dessalines was chosen governor for life. Later, attempting to emulate Napoleon, he had himself crowned emperor as Jacques I in an ostentatious ceremony. In attempting to reorganize the nation's shattered economy, the ambitious emperor instituted drastic measures, such as forced labor, and accompanied them with despotic and cruel acts. He was subsequently ambushed and killed; Henri Christophe succeeded him in power.