Alexandre Pétion

Alexandre Pétion was born in Port-au-Prince in 1770 and trained as a soldier. In 1802 he joined forces with Dessalines, and their alliance helped unite the revolution for its final campaign.

After 1806 he led the Republic in the south and west as its first president, until his death on 29 March 1818. Haitians remember him as Papa Bon Kè, the good-hearted father.

Achievements

• Joined Dessalines in 1802, a turning point on the road to independence.
• Became the first President of the Republic of Haiti in 1807.
• Gave land to soldiers and farming families.
• Sheltered Simón Bolívar and gave him ships, arms, and men, asking in return that he free the enslaved in the lands he liberated.
• Founded the Lycée Pétion in Port-au-Prince in 1816.