October 4, 1754 - Francisco Félix de Sousa
Operating at the intersection of Atlantic commerce and West African statecraft, de Sousa built his position in Ouidah into one of the most consequential nodes of the transatlantic slave trade. His involvement extended well beyond trafficking: he helped engineer a royal coup in Dahomey and held the title of chachá, giving him lasting influence over the political and economic machinery that sustained the trade in the region. The scale of his operations earned him the designation of history's greatest slave trader, a distinction measured in the volume of human lives funneled through the port he effectively controlled.
From Wikipedia
Francisco Félix de Souza (5 October 1754 – 8 May 1849) was a Brazilian slave trader who was deeply influential in the regional politics of pre-colonial West Africa (now Benin, Togo and Nigeria). He founded Afro-Brazilian communities in areas that are now part of those countries and went on to become the "chachá" of Ouidah (the slave-trading hub for the region), a title that conferred no official powers but commanded local respect in the Kingdom of Dahomey, where, after being jailed by King Adandozan of Dahomey, he helped Ghezo ascend the throne in a coup d'état. He became chacha to the new king, a curious phrase that has been explained as originating from his saying "(...) já, já.", a Portuguese phrase meaning something will be done right away.
His early years in Africa are well documented in a long article (in Portuguese) by Alberto Costa e Silva, "The Early Years of Francisco Féliz de Souza on the Slave Coast".
De Souza was a major slave trader and merchant who traded in palm oil, gold and slaves. He migrated from Brazil to what is now the African republic of Benin. He has been called "the greatest slave trader".
Trading slaves from what was then the Dahomey region, de Souza was known for his extravagance and was reputed to have had at least 80 children with women in his harem.
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