The Revolutionary Committee (, ; ) was a governmental council that governed Haiti from July 28 to August 11, 1915. The committee took power after the death of

Vilbrun Guillaume Sam Jean Vilbrun Guillaume Sam (; 4 March 1859 – 28 July 1915) was List of Presidents of Haïti, President of Haiti from 4 March 1915 until his assassination months later. He was the son of Tirésias Simon Sam, Haiti's president from 1896 to 1902 ...

and de facto controlled the country's capital,

Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( ; ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Haiti, most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 1,200,000 in 2022 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The me ...

, with its activities having as its background the American invasion of Haiti and the rebellion of Rosalvo Bobo. Committee was composed of: Charles de Delva, Charles Zamor, Edmond Polynice, Léon Nau, Ermane Robin, Eribert Saint-Vil Nöel and Samson Monpoint.

History

In the context of a revolution led by Rosalvo Bobo against President Sam, a revolutionary plot attacked the national palace on the night of 26 to 27 July. The plot was carried out by generals Charles de Delva, Ermane Robin and Edmond Polynice. Sam's police chief Charles Oscar Etienne, in retaliation, ordered the executions of the political prisoners. When the population learned of the massacre, a mob went to the places where Sam and Oscar Étienne were and took revenge on them with a lynching. A Revolutionary Committee was formed in Port-au-Prince, led by Charles de Delva and made up of insurrection leaders. Committee members were closely linked with July events: Delva, started the insurrection; Charles lost his brother

Oreste Zamor Emmanuel Oreste Zamor (1861 – July 27, 1915) was a Haitian general and politician who served as the president of Haiti in 1914. He was executed the following year after being ousted in a coup. Career During the Haitian civil war of 1912, O ...

and Polynice his sons, respectively, in the massacre of political prisoners perpetrated by Sam's loyal forces. The committee, in practice, wanted to ensure Rosalvo Bobo's rise to power. One of the incidents of the short-lived government of Port-au-Prince was the arrest of Senator Joseph Dessources, motivated by his political agitation against the Revolutionary Committee. At the same time, the United States carried out an intervention in Haiti with its troops landing and gradually occupying the country. In early August, the Committee held peace negotiations with the revolutionary Bobo in a special committee. Faced with Bobo's possible defeat, the Committee attempted to dissolve Congress on August 11 to prevent the election of a pro-American president. In reaction to this maneuver, General

William Banks Caperton William Banks Caperton (June 30, 1855 – December 21, 1941) was an admiral of the United States Navy. He held major posts ashore and afloat, chief of which were commanding the naval forces U.S. occupation of Haiti, intervening in Haiti (1915–1 ...

disbanded the Revolutionary Committee. The next day,

Philippe Sudré Dartiguenave Philippe Sudre Dartiguenave (; 6 April 1863 – 26 July 1926) was a Haitians, Haitian political figure. He served as president of Haiti from 12 August 1915 to 15 May 1922, during the United States occupation of Haiti, U.S. military occupation th ...

was elected under American supervision and Bobo chose exile in the following days.

References

{{Authority control 1915 in Haiti Heads of state of Haiti Collective heads of state Provisional governments