Jackson Petit

Chairman of the Privy Council of the Haitian Empire since 2023 (born 1951)

The Most Excellent **Sir Jackson Petit, Baron of Carrefour** PC OHE IMH OHR (born May 18, 1951) is a Haitian politician serving as the Chairman of the Privy Council of the Haitian Empire since 2023. He serves on the House of Lords, a tertiary legislative body led by representatives of the Crown. A member of the KND-PUSD (previously known as the Haitian National Congress), he previously served an MP for Ouest from 1999 to 2017.

Petit first entered public service as the Public Advocate for Port-au-Prince. His first elected position was as the Mayor of Port-au-Prince, where he succeeded former Public Advocate Jean Claude Bonhomme in 1984. He then went on to serve as a member of the Department Council for a single term from 1993 till 1995. He was then elected as the Executive of the Ouest Department and served in the role from 1995 till 1999. In 1999, Petit successfully challenged Phil St. John for his seat in Parliament, representing Port-au-Prince and the Ouest Department in the Haitian Parliament. He received his first ministerial position in 2003, serving as the Parliamentary Under Secretary for Aid to Families from 2003 to 2005. He would then become the Deputy Minister of Trade to the Americas from 2005 to 2007. His final junior ministerial position was as the Deputy Secretary of State for Public Health and Safety Affairs from 2007 until 2009. His time serving as Deputy Secretary of State earned him a lot of praise from other MPs and government officials, which directly led to him becoming likely candidate to serve as the first Secretary of State for Humanitarian Aid and Relief in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake. For his efforts, Petit received a Presidential Commendation Award and honorary membership into the Order of the President. Petit was then promoted to the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs in May of 2011 and then went on to become the Deputy Prime Minister of Haiti from 2013 to 2017. In 2017, he was chosen to become the 6th Vice President of Haiti from 2017 to 2023 serving under both Louis Mathieu and his son Toussaint I.

On December 9th, he was also selected to serve on the Emperor's Privy Council as the Chairman. He was also appointed as a Life peer by Joseph Mathieu to serve in the House of Lords.

## Early life

Jackson Petit was born on May 18, 1951 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He is one of three children in his family. His father was as a low-level manager at the Ministry of Housing, his mother was a OB/GYN and worked at a hospitals in both Haiti and in the United Kingdom.

## Education and early career

Petit performed very well in high school, earning a full-ride scholarhsip to the State University of Haiti, Port-au-Prince. He instead chose to attend Oxford University in the United Kingdom, where he studied Buisiness Administration and Public Policy. During his undergraduate studies, he worked in the library, as well as a Research Assistant to help afford the tuition. He would then go on to study at Rosewood State University, where he obtained a Masters in Buisiness Administration in 1974.

Petit worked for the Prince George's County Government, but chose to return to Haiti and renounce his U.S. citizenship following the Haitian revolution.

## Early political career

### Port-au-Prince Public Advocate (1980–1984)

Petit's first public office was as the Public Advocate for the City of Port-au-Prince. He was appointed to the role by Mayor Jean Claude Bonhomme on April 2, 1980.

## Brief run for Parliament and brief retirment

Main article: October 2023 Haitian parliamentary election
Petit briefly considered running for his old constituency seat, and challenge incumbent Earl Andre. Petit began his campaign for the seat in July of 2023. He recieved endorsements from many of his former parliamentary colleagues and from then President Louis Mathieu, who attended a campaign rally for Petit just before to his passing in July of 2023. Early polls had Petit ahead of incumbent and longtime ally Andre. However, in August Petit suspended his campaign suddenly; announcing on Twitter that his campaign would end and that his supporters should rally behind the incumbent Andre. On Ocotber 20, 2023, Petit published a video to his social media accounts announcing his retirement from public service.

## Electoral history

1984 Port-au-Prince mayoral election
 Total votes

1988 Port-au-Prince mayoral election

1993 Ouest Department Council elections

1995 Ouest Executive elections
 Total votes

## Personal life

Petit married Anais in 1957 and the two have 5 children together including son Jean Claude. He owns a home in Jamaica and in Miami, United States. His net worth is believed to be around $200 million USD.