Pierre Théoma Boisrond-Canal (12 June 1832 – 6 March 1905) was a Haitian politician who served as the President of

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and s ...

three times. Boisrond-Canal was born 12 June 1832 in the town of

Les Cayes Les Cayes ( , ), often referred to as Aux Cayes (; ht, Okay), is a commune and seaport in the Les Cayes Arrondissement, in the Sud department of Haiti, with a population of 71,236. Due to its isolation from the political turmoil of the capita ...

, Haiti. He began a military career. He was an officer from 1858 to 1867 during the administration of

Fabre Geffrard Guillaume Fabre Nicolas Geffrard (19 September 1806 – 31 December 1878) was a mulatto general in the Haitian army and President of Haiti from 1859 until his deposition in 1867. On 18 April 1852, Faustin Soulouque made him Duke of Tabara. ...

. He then retired from military service and became a farmer. His political career began in 1870, when he was elected a senator in

Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( , ; ht, Pòtoprens ) is the capital and most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 987,311 in 2015 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The metropolitan area is define ...

. He was then re-elected until 1875. After the riots of May 1875, after which he was holed up in the home of U.S. ambassador

Ebenezer Bassett Ebenezer Don Carlos Bassett (October 16, 1833 – November 13, 1908) was United States Ambassador to Haiti from 1869 to 1877. He was the first African American diplomat and the fourth U.S. ambassador to Haiti since the two countries established ...

for five months from May to October, he went into exile in

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley Inte ...

, for a few weeks. On his return, he was appointed the commander of the army in the

Ouest Ouest (French for west) may refer to: *Ouest (department), Haiti *Ouest Department (Ivory Coast), defunct administrative subdivision of Ivory Coast * Ouest Province, Cameroon * Ouest Province, Rwanda *Ouest-France, a French newspaper * West France ...

department by President

Michel Domingue Michel Domingue served as the President of Haiti from 14 June 1874 to 15 April 1876. Biography Michel Domingue was born in Les Cayes in 1813. He graduated from military training and became commander of army units in Sud. From 8 May 1868 to ...

. On 23 April 1876, he replaced Michel Domingue as the first president of the provisional government, before becoming President of Haiti non-provisionally on 17 July 1876. The 1867 Constitution gave him a mandate of four years. During Boisrond-Canal's administration, tensions in domestic politics and foreign affairs grew, particularly because of the differences between liberal and nationalist parties in Parliament. Following a stormy debate in the House of Representatives on 30 June 1879, there were riots in Port-au-Prince in which the Liberal leader Jean-Pierre Boyer-Bazelais played a significant role. Although the government managed to restore law and order, Boisrond-Canal resigned as president on 17 July 1879, unable to mediate between the Liberal and National parties. The successor to the presidency was

Lysius Salomon Louis Étienne Félicité Lysius Salomon (June 30, 1815 – October 19, 1888) was the President of Haiti from 1879 to 1888. Salomon is best remembered for instituting Haiti's first postal system and for his lively enthusiasm for Haiti's moderniz ...

. After his resignation, Boisrond-Canal left again in exile in Jamaica. After Boisrond-Canal's return from exile and Salomon's resignation on 10 August 1888, Boisrond-Canal was again named Acting President of Haiti. He was succeeded as president by

François Denys Légitime François Denys Légitime (November 20, 1841 – July 29, 1935) was a Haitian general who served as President of Haiti from 1888 to 1889. Biography Légitime was born in Jérémie, Haiti, on 20 November 1841 to Denys Légitime and Tinette Le ...

on 16 October 1888. On 26 May 1902, Boisrond-Canal was appointed successor to

Tirésias Simon Sam Paul Tirésias Augustin Simon Sam (May 15, 1835 – May 11, 1916) was the President of Haiti from 31 March 1896 to 12 May 1902. He resigned the presidency just before completing his six-year term. Biography Born in the year 1835, Tirésias Si ...

as new interim president of Haiti. On 17 December 1902

Pierre Nord Alexis Pierre Nord Alexis (2 August 1820 – 1 May 1910) was President of Haiti from 17 December 1902 to 2 December 1908. Early life He was the son of a high-ranking official in the regime of Henri Christophe, and Blézine Georges, Christophe's illeg ...

became his successor. Boisrond-Canal was one of the most influential politicians of his time in Haiti and significantly influenced Haitian politics even when not serving as president. He died in Port-au-Prince on 6 March 1905. Boisrond-Canal's younger brother, Louis-Auguste Boisrond-Canal, was an active political figure in 1908 as a member of the Commission for public order and interim president of Haiti.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Boisrond-Canal, Pierre Theoma Presidents of Haiti Members of the Senate (Haiti) 1832 births 1905 deaths Haitian people of Mulatto descent People from Sud (department) 1870s in Haiti 1880s in Haiti 1902 in Haiti 19th-century Haitian politicians 20th-century Haitian politicians People from Les Cayes Defense ministers of Haiti