Born: 8 May 1758, Haiti
Died: 8 August 1858
Country most active: Haiti
Also known as: Marie-Claire Heureuse Félicité Bonheur
The following is republished from the Library of Congress. This piece falls under under public domain, as copyright does not apply to “any work of the U.S. Government” where “a work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties” (See, 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 105).
Marie-Claire Heureuse Félicité was an educator who shared her knowledge of French to free blacks. She was married to a French painter who died shortly after, and eventually she became the first Empress of Haiti after her marriage to General Jean-Jacques Dessalines who crowned himself emperor of Haiti on October 8, 1804. Emperor Jacques I was assassinated on October 17th, 1806.