Louis Borno

Louis Borno
26th President of Haiti
In office 15 May 1922 – 15 May 1930
Preceded by	Philippe Sudré Dartiguenave
Succeeded by	Louis Eugène Roy
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Finance and Commerce
In office 20 June 1918 – 19 December 1918
President	Philippe Sudré Dartiguenave
Preceded by	Edmond Dupuy (Foreign Affairs) Edmond Héreaux (Finance and Commerce)
Succeeded by	Constantin Benoit (Foreign Affairs) Fleury Féquière (Finance and Commerce)
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Worship and Education
In office 9 May 1916 – 17 April 1917
President	Philippe Sudré Dartiguenave
Preceded by	Himself (Foreign Affairs and Public Education) Etienne Dornéval (Worship)
Succeeded by	Furcy Châtelain (Foreign Affairs) Osmin Cham (Worship) Périclès Tessier (Public Education)
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Education and Public Works
In office 29 January 1916 – 2 May 1916
President	Philippe Sudré Dartiguenave
Preceded by	Himself (Foreign Affairs and Public Education)) Jean-Baptiste Dartigue (Public Works)
Succeeded by	Himself (Foreign Affairs and Public Education) Constant Vieux (Public Works)
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Education
In office 9 September 1915 – 29 January 1916
President	Philippe Sudré Dartiguenave
Preceded by	Horace Pauleus Sannon
Succeeded by	Himself
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Justice
In office 12 December 1914 – 16 February 1915
President	Joseph Davilmar Théodore
Preceded by	Justin Joseph
Succeeded by	Joseph Cadet Jérémie
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship
In office 14 March 1908 – 6 December 1908
President	Pierre Nord Alexis
Preceded by	Horace Pauleus Sannon
Succeeded by	J. J. F. Magny
Personal details
Born	Eustache Antoine Francois Joseph Louis Borno (1865-09-20)20 September 1865 Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Died	29 July 1942(1942-07-29) (aged 76) Pétion-Ville, Haiti
Spouse	Marie-Hélène Saint-Macary
Children	Madeleine Brun née Borno, Henri Borno, Simone Armand née Borno
Profession	Lawyer, journalist

Eustache Antoine Francois Joseph Louis Borno (September 20, 1865 – July 29, 1942) was a lawyer and Haitian politician who served as President of Haiti from 1922 to 1930 during the period of the American occupation of Haiti (1915–34).

Early life and education

Borno was the son of a French father and a Haitian mother. Encouraged by his parents, he went to Paris for his college education, earning a law degree in 1890 at the Faculty of Paris. He became part of the professional elite in Haiti, setting up a law practice on his return. Louis spoke over five languages including Latin, and was an extremely intelligent man, developing a great relationship with International Heads of State, specializing in the art of communication for Haiti.

Nationalist minister

In 1899, Borno served as a diplomat in the Dominican Republic. In 1908, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs for President Pierre Nord Alexis.

The country of Haiti was looked upon as a strategically vital location by the United States at the onset of World War I.

Borno, appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, negotiated a U.S. commitment to the economic development of the country.

Cooperating President

Louis Borno was elected by the State Council on 10 April 1922. He maintained a policy of "honest and frank cooperation", as Borno called it, and persuaded Americans to help develop the country economically.

He achieved impressive infrastructure improvements: 1700 km of roads were made usable; 189 bridges were built; many irrigation canals were rehabilitated; hospitals, schools, and public buildings were constructed; and drinking water was brought to the main cities. Port-au-Prince became the first city of Latin America to have phone service available with automatic dialing. Agricultural education was organized with a central school of agriculture and 69 farms in the country.

Borno relied on the Catholic Church, with congregations coming from France to develop quality education throughout the country. Aware that many Haitians did not speak French, he was the first president to authorize the use of Haitian Creole in the education system.

He maintained a Council of State, whose 21 members he had appointed. He was re-elected by this body on 12 April 1926.

Bibliography

• Philip, George D., British documents on foreign affairs: Part 2. From the First to the Second World War. Series D. Latin America, 1914 – 1939, Volume 7, Univ. Publ. of America, 1991, ISBN 0-89093-607-2
• Auguste Nemours A. (1926) Les Borno dans l'histoire d'Haiti, Port-au-Prince: Imprimeriee Nationale