Léon Dumarsais Estimé (French pronunciation: [leɔ̃ dymaʁsɛ ɛstime]; April 21, 1900 – July 20, 1953) was a Haitian politician and President of the Haitian Republic from August 16, 1946, to May 10, 1950.
Previously, he was a member of the Parliament for Verrettes for 16 years, as well as President of the Chamber and Minister (Secretary of State) for Public Education, Agriculture, and Labour.
Dumarsais Estimé's political ideology is a mixture of nationalism and progressivism. This ideology is called estimism. He advocated for collaborationism with the bourgeoisie, centralization policies, nationalization and liberalization economic policies.
The memory of his presidency remains very prominent among many Haitians due to the reforms undertaken and the undeniable economic and social progress that the Republic of Haiti experienced during this era. Among his more notable achievements are things such as the International Exhibition organized in 1949 to commemorate the bicentenary of the founding of Port-au-Prince in 1749 by the French colonists from the island of Santo Domingo (Le Livre Bleu), the expansion of the city of Belladère along the Dominican Republic border as a symbol of development, and the construction of a suspension bridge over the Grande-Anse River which still continues to serve region as river crossing to this day. It is important to also remember the laws passed and the investments made for the development of rural areas, the construction of many schools and the modernisation of the whole education system, as well as the protection of workers’ rights through the Labor Code and ultimately the creation of proper conditions for economic growth, mostly in tourism and small industry sectors. During this period, there was also significant improvement in the living conditions of the Haitian population.
In May 1950, a coup d’état organized by a military junta overthrew the government of Estimé and placed its leader, Paul Magloire, as head of the country, where he would be elected to the presidency in October 1950. Estimé was shortly deposed and exiled by the Haitian army led by Franck Lavaud. After travelling in France, Jamaica, and the US, he died in New York on July 20, 1953. Estimé was the last president to be constitutionally elected to office by the Chamber of Deputies, whereas Magloire was the first to be elected to office by universal adult male suffrage.
Estimé was born on April 21, 1900, in Verrettes, a Haitian town located in the Artibonite Province, into a landowner’s family. His father, Alciné Estimé, was the son of Sara Dorval (1845–1938) and Estimé Pierre (1851–1904), among a group of siblings consisting of four boys and six girls. His mother, Fleurencia Massillon, was described as caring and made a deep impression on her son throughout his life, just as much as the death of his father did when Dumarsais was still a child.
His uncle, Estilus Estimé, mayor of Verrettes (1936) and senator of the Republic (1938), ensured his education and exercised a great deal of influence over Dumarsais. Estilus attempted to make Dumarsais aware of the Haitian social reality of the time and convinced him of the need for greater integrity in public affairs.
Estilus Estimé sent the young Dumarsais to the friars of Saint-Louis de Gonzague in St Marc; he then attended Collège Pinchinat and went to Lycée Alexandre-Pétion in Port-au-Prince until his baccalaureate. At these institutions it is reported he was taught by masters such as Jean Price-Mars, Catts Pressoir and Jean-Chrysostome Dorsainvil. Dumarsais was fifteen when the American Occupation of Haiti began in July 1915 and this period would profoundly influence his teenage years along with his future career. In 1920, he was appointed as a tutor at Lycée Pétion while still attending law school. He taught mathematics there until 1926, also graduating during this time. Dumarsais was dismissed from his position after publicly expressing his opposition to the government of President Louis Borno and the then ongoing United States occupation of Haiti. Dumarsais was described as a scholar (passionate about French literature and philosophy) with a fierce desire to liberate Haiti from foreign influence and change Haitian society. It was necessary, according to him, to fight against the abuses of the traditional elite and educate the masses.
Election to the Chamber of Deputies
As a lawyer, he first practised in St. Marc before entering politics and being elected deputy in 1930 in the constituency of Verrettes. On February 21, 1935, he won the confidence of his colleagues who elected him President of the Chamber of Deputies with 27 votes out of 28.
Minister of Public Instruction, Agriculture and Labour
In 1937 he joined President Sténio Vincent’s government and was nominated Minister (Secretary of State, after the former terminology) for Public instruction, Agriculture and Labour, while he kept his seat at the Parliament.
During his two years as the Minister overseeing education, he showed a desire to extend education and culture to all Haitian people, in particular the underprivileged. Pursuing his goal, Estimé cared to improve the level and quality of teachers’ training, to raise the salaries of teachers and professors, to reorganize high schools, and to reform the Haitian baccalaureate and the organization of exams, as well as the introduction of Bachelor of Letters and Bachelor of Sciences university programs. The aim of Dumarsais was a system of education equal to the level of foreign universities which were then offering scholarships for studies abroad to young Haitian men and women. During this time he also ordered the construction of more schools in rural areas and organized the National Library of Port-au-Prince along with its local branches. The Normal School of Female Teachers was created in Port-au-Prince, responding to an important need to promote the socio-economic role of women in Haitian society.
Knowing the importance of the agricultural sector in the national economy, Estimé made sure to provide the Ministry of Agriculture with competent counsellors. The stated objective was to strengthen food crops, but also to develop the cultivation of foodstuffs for export to balance the trade market.
When President Vincent proposed his secretary, Élie Lescot, to the National Assembly as a potential successor in 1941, Estimé voted in his favour and Lescot was elected president. However, on April 19, 1944, Estimé opposed Lescot’s re-election, disapproving of the partial revision of the Constitution undertaken by the president, and voted against him. The latter was, however, re-elected by a majority.
As a deputy, Estimé observed the events of 1946 closely—the economic crisis and a serious social crisis induced by the legitimate demands of the underprivileged classes—which led to the resignation of President Lescot. The provisional government, led by Franck Lavaud, set up for new elections.
While communists and nationalists wanted a regime change, Estimé presented himself to voters as a moderate candidate and was re-elected in the legislative elections of 1946.
On August 16, with the moderates having obtained a majority in the Chamber of Deputies, Estimé was nominated as a candidate. He was then elected President of the Republic for four years after a second vote by deputies, with 31 votes out of 58. His first gesture as the newly elected president was to greet his opponents: Dantès Louis Bellegarde, Edgard Numa, and Demosthenes Calixte.