Florvil Hyppolite died while on an official trip to Jacmel city

Louis Mondestin Florvil Hyppolite or popularly known as Florvil Hyppolite, was born in 1828. The constitutional council of Haiti elected and installed him as the President of Haiti in the year 1889. On 17th October 1889, Louis Mondestin Florvil Hyppolite took charge of the office of President. He was a general and a career soldier but it was also reported that Florvil Hyppolite was deeply influenced by Victoire Jean-Baptiste. Victoire was the mistress of Tirésias Simon Sam. After the death of Florvil Hyppolite, Tirésias Simon Sam became the President of Haiti.

Unlike various other Presidents of Haiti, Florvil Hyppolite was not a victim of any gruesome end. His death was natural and he died of a cardiac arrest while he was on an official trip to Jacmel city. A civilian revolt broke out in the city and he was on his way to address the same. A Haitian folklore tale describes that before arriving to Jacmel city, the hat of President Florvil Hyppolite fell off his head. During those days, this particular event of a hat falling off the head was considered to be a bad omen. This was a popular belief among all Haitians. "Panama M' Tombé" is a children's song that is sung even today to remember that incident on the day when Florvil Hyppolite died.

Reply to this article

Read more: jacmel, Haitian President, Florvil Hyppolite, General, Heart Attack, People

« Hannibal Price, Haitian author and diplomat | Main | Jacmel Infrastructure: Raymond-les-Bains and Place of Grande Colombie »

Return to Articles List

Our objective is to share with you news and information about Haiti and the people of Haiti. Traditions, habits and the way we were  or  grew are alive in this site. We highly recommend that you Subscribe to our Newsletter and also share with us some of the things that are memorable and made us unique people.