Dr. Pierre François Joseph Benoit Rosalvo Bobo (1874–1929), known as Rosalvo Bobo, was a

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

an politician, and a leader of the rebel faction called the Cacos. In March of 1915, he started and led a rebellion against the government of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

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 ...

. As the rebellion was gaining momentum, Sam ordered the arrest and murder of his political opponents, but was himself killed by a mob in retaliation on 27 July 1915. This led to a breakdown of order and widespread violence in the capital of

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 ...

. In response, U.S. Marines landed at Port-au-Prince on 28 July 1915, beginning the

United States occupation of Haiti The United States occupation of Haiti began on July 28, 1915, when 330 United States Marine Corps, US Marines landed at Port-au-Prince, Republic of Haiti (1859–1957), Haiti, after the Citibank, National City Bank of New York convinced the ...

. U.S. Admiral

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 ...

commanded U.S. troops occupying Haiti after the assassination of President Sam. Under orders from Washington, D.C., he sought to find a suitable candidate to assume the presidency. Two names emerged, Bobo and

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 ...

. After interviewing both men, Caperton formed the opinion that Bobo was mentally unstable and unfit for office.Musicant, Ivan (1990) ''The Banana Wars'', New York, MacMillan Publishing He informed Washington of this and was told by assistant secretary of the Navy

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

that "the election of Dartiguenave is preferred by the United States". After losing the election in the

Haitian Senate The Senate (, ) is the upper house of Haiti's bicameral legislature, the Haitian Parliament. The lower house of the Haitian Parliament is the Chamber of Deputies of Haiti, Chamber of Deputies. The Senate consists of thirty seats, with three mem ...

by a vote of 94 to 3, Bobo fled to

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

, but then moved to

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

. He finally settled in France, where he died in 1929.

References

1874 births 1929 deaths Finance ministers of Haiti Haitian emigrants to France People of the Banana Wars {{Haiti-politician-stub