François Duvalier

François Duvalier (14 April 1907 – 21 April 1971), also known as Papa Doc, was a Haitian politician and physician who served as president of Haiti from 1957 until his death in 1971. Duvalier completed a degree in medicine from the University of Haiti in 1934 and spent a year at the University of Michigan studying public health. In 1943 he became active in a campaign to control the spread of contagious tropical diseases in Haiti. His patients affectionately called him "Papa Doc," a moniker that he used throughout his life.