April 14, 1907 - Papa Doc Duvalier
A physician who rose to power on a populist platform, Duvalier built one of the Western Hemisphere's most repressive regimes, using a personal paramilitary force — the Tonton Macoutes — to eliminate political opposition through violence, disappearance, and terror. His consolidation of power was methodical: early democratic legitimacy gave way to rigged elections, a declared presidency-for-life, and the systematic dismantling of any institution that might check his authority. Estimates of those killed or forced into exile during his fourteen-year rule run into the tens of thousands.
From Wikipedia
François Duvalier (14 April 1907 – 21 April 1971), also known as Papa Doc, was a Haitian politician and physician who served as president of Haiti from 1957 until his death in 1971.
Duvalier completed a degree in medicine from the University of Haiti in 1934 and spent a year at the University of Michigan studying public health. In 1943 he became active in a campaign to control the spread of contagious tropical diseases in Haiti. His patients affectionately called him "Papa Doc," a moniker that he used throughout his life. Duvalier served as Minister for Public Health and Labor under the administration of Dumarsais Estimé.
Duvalier was elected president in the 1957 general election on a populist and black nationalist platform. After thwarting a military coup d'état in July 1958, his regime rapidly became more autocratic. Duvalier was unanimously "re-elected" in a 1961 presidential election in which he was the only candidate.
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