Jean-Claude Duvalier

(1951-2014)

President of Haiti

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Jean-Claude Duvalier nicknamed "Baby Doc" (Haitian Creole: Bebe Dòk; 3 July 1951 – 4 October 2014), was a Haitian politician who was the President of Haiti from 1971 until he was overthrown by a popular uprising in February 1986. He succeeded his father François "Papa Doc" Duvalier as the ruler of Haiti after his death in 1971. After assuming power, he introduced cosmetic changes to his father's regime and delegated much authority to his advisors. Thousands of Haitians were killed or tortured, and hundreds of thousands fled the country during his presidency. He maintained a notoriously lavish lifestyle (including a state-sponsored US$ 2million wedding in 1980) while poverty among his people remained the most widespread of any country in the Western Hemisphere.