Ertha Pascal-Trouillot

Ertha Pascal-Trouillot (born 13 August 1943) is a Haitian politician who served as the provisional President of Haiti for 11 months in 1990 and 1991. She was the first woman in Haitian history to hold that office and the first female president of African descent in the Americas.

Early life, family and education
Ertha Pascal-Trouillot was born on August 13, 1943, in the well-to-do suburb of Pétion-Ville in the hills above the crowded capital. Her father, Thimbles, was an iron worker and died when she was young. Her mother Louise (née Dumornay) was a seamstress and embroiderer. Pascal-Trouillot was the ninth of ten children. When she was 10 years old, she and one of her brothers went to the Lycée François Duvalier and was mentored by her future husband, Ernst Trouillot, who was "more than 20 years her senior."

When she started university, she wanted to pursue a career in science but she met her mentor who convinced her to pursue it in law and later in politics. In 1971, she received her law degree from the École de Droit des Gonaïves in Port-au-Prince.

Career
She has been a lawyer, writer, teacher and Supreme Court justice.

During the Duvalier dynasty, Pascal-Trouillot became the first female judge in Haiti upon becoming serving on the Court of First Instance. In 1986, Minister of Justice Francois Latortue appointed Pascal-Trouillot to the Supreme Court. She was the first woman to serve on the court.

While serving as Chief Justice, she became the country's provisional president on March 13, 1990. She became responsible for organizing a general election. It was to her credit that she could bring about violence-free elections which brought Jean Bertrand Aristide to the post of president with a 67% win.

Away from the public eye, Pascal-Trouillot had a committee which helped in running the affairs of the country and also the elections. She also got the support of the army. After the victory of Jean Bertrand Aristide, she was arrested and charged for the coup. It has never been proved that Ertha Pascal-Trouillot was in fact involved in the coup. Due to US intervention, she was released in a day. She exited her role in active politics and left Haiti. Ertha Pascal-Trouillot has returned to Haiti but away from the public eye. She has been involved working at compiling the history of Haiti.

Mrs. Pascal-Trouillot primary task as Provisional President was to steer Haiti toward early elections in coordination with a 19-member Council of State that had been given veto power over her. She was in charge of managing the council and trying to avoid outright combat and she was also expected to act and complete the task of her role and serve the people. She also drew up communication announcing the reopening of schools, which had closed more than a week earlier because of protests against Lt. Gen. Prosper Avril, Haiti's military ruler.

Trouillot steered Haiti through its first major test from a dictatorship to a new democracy with free democratic elections. She worked with Karl Auguste on a commission to revise Haiti's civil and penal codes after the collapse of the previous dictator, Duvalier. According to the article “L’union Suite,” "More than twenty years after Pascal-Trouillot brave leadership, Haiti’s nascent and fragile democracy still stands. The Haitian people have lived through two more coups d’etats, economic turmoil, and natural disasters.... That’s the legacy of Ertha Pascal-Trouillot.... After her reign, a lot of women began running for a lot of important roles in the place, including senators, deputy, ministers and even president."

Personal life
Mrs Pascal-Trouillot's brother Alix was paralyzed from the waist down by a bullet from one of the Duvalier soldiers. Another brother, Andre, was arrested and threatened with execution.

She was married for over 40 years to Ernst Trouillot, a journalist, lawyer, and teacher. Their daughter's name is Yantha. Ernst is the father Michel-Rolph Trouillot, an anthropologist. Ernst Trouillot was a major force in shaping, Ertha's life. He was more than 20 years her senior. She met him when she was a teenage girl in one of his social classes. Due to her intelligence, he encouraged her to go to law school. Ernst died from a stroke. He served as counsel to the National Bank, from which the dictators are said to have obtained a fortune (though they were not supporters of the Duvaliers).

Pascal-Trouillot has resided in Haiti as well as New York City.