General Antonio Thrasybule Kébreau was born 117 years ago.

117 years ago, on November 11, 1909, Antonio Thrasybule Kébreau was born in Port-au-Prince. He was the general who led the country in 1957 and organized the election that brought François Duvalier to power.

A military career

A student at the Petit Séminaire Collège Saint-Martial, he entered the Military Academy, where he became friends with Paul Magloire. Under Magloire's presidency, he became a captain, then a colonel, and a general in 1956. After Magloire's departure, he took command of the Southern military department.

The coup d'état of June 14, 1957

As Chief of Staff of the army, he overthrew provisional president Daniel Fignolé on June 14, 1957, forcing him into exile. He took the lead of a Military Council of Government with Colonel Émile Zamor and Adrien Valville, and declared a state of siege. On September 22, 1957, he organized the presidential election, which was won by François Duvalier with 69.1% of the vote against Louis Déjoie. The council stepped down at Duvalier's inauguration on October 22, 1957.

Disgrace and mysterious death

Kept at the head of the army, he refused to arrest twenty officers suspected of treason and was dismissed on March 12, 1958. Duvalier then appointed him ambassador to the Vatican in January 1959, and later to Italy in 1961. Having returned to the country, he died in Pétion-Ville on January 13, 1963, the day after a reception at the National Palace. Some suspected Duvalier of having him poisoned.