Rene Preval
World Leader
After serving a brief term as Prime Minister of Haiti, this Fanmi Lavalas-turned-Lespwa party politician became a two-term President of Haiti, serving from 1996-2001 and again from 2006-2011.
An agronomist by trade, he attended the College of Gembloux; Belgium's University of Leuven; and Italy's University of Pisa. He began his political career by serving as Haitian Minister of Interior and National Defense.
Before entering politics, he owned and operated a Port-au-Prince bakery and worked on behalf of Haitian charitable organizations.
His first two marriages, to Geri Benoit and Solange Lafontant, ended in divorce. He married his third wife, Elisabeth Delatour, in 2009.
In 2011, he was succeeded in office by musician-turned-politician Michel Martelly.