Jacques Nicolas Léger

Jacques Nicolas Léger
Man with moustache in ornate, high-collared shirt
Born 1859
Les Cayes, Haiti
Died February 5, 1918
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Nationality Haitian
Occupation Lawyer, politician, diplomat

Jacques Nicolas Léger (1859-1918) was a Haitian lawyer, politician, and diplomat.

Léger was born at Les Cayes, Haiti, in 1859. He received his early education in Haiti, and as a very young man went to Paris, where he continued his higher studies and also received his legal training. His father had been a member of the Haitian senate and a statesman of note, so that young Léger began to take an active part in the politics of his country at an early age. In 1881, when only 22 years old, he was made secretary of the Haitian legation in Paris, and a little later, upon the abrupt resignation of Minister Charles Séguy Villevaleix, the young secretary was made charge d'affaires. Upon his return to Haiti, he resumed the practice of law at Port-au-Prince, and also became editor-in-chief of an influential political journal. In 1890 he was made chief of a division in the department of foreign affairs, and in 1892 became one of the founders of the Société de Législation of Port-au-Prince, later becoming its president. He was also made president of the Order of Barristers of Port-au-Prince and was subsequently made a member of the permanent court of arbitration at The Hague.[1]

Having been elected as a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Haiti, Léger took high rank in that legislative body, serving as chairman of the committee of foreign affairs and as a member of the judiciary committee. In 1896 he was appointed envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of Haiti at Washington, a post he held for nearly 13 years. While serving in this post, he was appointed as the delegate from Haiti to the Second Pan American Congress, and thereafter made vice chairman of the committee on regulations for the Third International Conference. As a member of the governing board of the Pan American Union he served on many important committees. In 1911 he was appointed minister of foreign affairs of his country, a post he held until May 1913, and to which he was recalled by President Oreste Zamor in 1914.[1]

Upon his retirement from public office Léger resumed his legal and literary work, for which he gained renown that extended far beyond Haiti. As a writer his most important work was in the lines of law, diplomacy, and history, his best known published works being:

He died at Port-au-Prince on February 5, 1918.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Pan American Union; Union of American Republics (1918). Bulletin of the Pan American Union, vol. 46. The Union. pp. 334–336.  This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
Wikisource has original works written by or about:
Jacques Nicolas Léger
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/20/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.