Today is the birthday, in 1767, of Henri Christophe, a key leader in the Haitian Revolution and the only monarch of the Kingdom of Haiti.
Born in the British Caribbean, Christophe was possibly of Senegambian descent. Beginning with the slave uprising of 1791, he rose to power in the ranks of the Haitian revolutionary military. The revolution succeeded in gaining independence from France in 1804. In 1805 he took part under Jean-Jacques Dessalines in the capture of Santo Domingo (now Dominican Republic), against French forces who acquired the colony from Spain in the Treaty of Basel.
After Dessalines was assassinated, Christophe retreated to the Plaine-du-Nord and created a separate government. On 17 February 1807, he was elected president of the State of Haiti, as he named that area. On 26 March 1811, Christophe created a kingdom in the north and was later proclaimed Henry I, King of Haïti.
In 1820, unpopular, ill and fearing a coup, he committed suicide. Jacques-Victor, his son and heir, was assassinated 10 days later. His descendants continued to be among the powerful of Haiti. Pierre Nord Alexis, President of Haiti from 1902 to 1908, was Christophe’s grandson. Michèle Bennett, who married Jean-Claude Duvalier and was First Lady of Haiti during his administration (1980 to 1986), is Christophe’s great-great-great-granddaughter.
Portrait by Richard Evans, c. 1816
Today is the birthday, in 1949, of American musician, guitarist, singer, songwriter Thomas McClary, from American funk/soul band, The Commodores, who had the 1978 UK & US No.1 single ‘Three Times A Lady’ as well as the hits ‘Easy’ and ‘Nightshift’. McClary is widely credited with having created the signature sound of The Commodores’ original music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4dl6JSf-bc
