Background
Business Ventures
1935 Owned a milk delivery service after which he and associate, Georges Cadet, opened a Perfume Factory, Cadet-Decatrel, which included a store called ”Parfums des Fleurs”, at Grand’Rue No. 81, Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Subsequently added a Liquor Factory/Store at the same location.
1946 Owned and operated a Sisal Shoe Factory for export.
1950 Started a Manufacturer’s Representative Agency and merged with an Import - Export Firm (IMPEXSA).
1950 While in exile in New York City, NY started a Freight Forwarding Agency.
September 29th, 1951 - Established the firm, Louis Decatrel & Sons in partnership with two of his older sons, Carl-Henri and Pierre-Eugene. The firm represented many large US and European corporations, such as NCR Corp, Owens Illinois Glass Co., Eagle Electric Co., Botany Mills Co., Eagle Pencil Co., “Les Miroiteries de Charleroi” and “ l’Union des Verreries Mechaniques Belge”, Centrotex and “Jean Patou” a well-known Parisian perfume manufacturer.
Education
.Primary and secondary school
1910 to 1922 - “ Institution St. Louis de Gonzague des Frères de l’Instruction Chrétienne”, Port-au-Prince, Haiti from 12th grade to Baccalauréat 2nd Part (Philosophie).
Professional Education
Engineering
1922 - 1925 Graduated at the age of 19 with a degree in Civil Engineering, “École Polytechnique”, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Accounting
Port-au-Prince at undetermined school.
Agriculture
Completed a correspondence course in agriculture at McKinley-Roosevelt University, Chicago, Ill. Graduated in 1945.
Career
Professional Career
1925 - 1928 Assistant Civil Engineer at the Department of Public Works, in the “Artibonite Départment”, Gonaïves, Haiti. While there, he participated in the design, supervision and construction of the army/police barracks, bridges and irrigation canals. He later directed the rebuilding of the then unpaved 30-mile road from Gros Morne to Port-de-Paix, Haiti.
1928 - 1931 High School Mathematics Teacher at the State “Lycée Petion”, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
1931 - Worked as a Civil Engineer/independent contractor in Petit Goaves and Port-au-Prince, Haiti
1931- 1937 worked at the Department of Agriculture, Damien, Haiti in various assignments and the Coffee Office as a grader and tester.
1937- Head of the Section of “Génie Rural” in the School of Agriculture, Agricultural Agent, and Assistant to the “Commissaire General aux Colonies Agricoles”.
1938 - 1941 Promoted to Director of the Agricultural Colony of “Morne des Commissaires”, at “Savane Zombie”, Haiti. The Colony was a large settlement created by the government. Its purpose was to help those expelled Haitian Immigrants who escaped the 1937 massacre in the Dominican Republic to readapt to a normal farm life in their country.
1941 - 1943 Transferred as Superintendent of a jointly owned US/Haiti Government Plantation, “Societé Haitienne Americaine de Development Agricole”, SHADA, located in Source Chaude and Anse d’Hainault for the production of strategic commodities during World War II, such as raw rubber from the cultivation of the Hevea Brasilensis trees.
1943 - 1946 Promoted to General Director of the “Service National de Production Agricole de l’Enseignement Rural”, (“SNPA&ER,”) Damien, Haiti.
1946 - Resigned from this position after the fall of President Élie Lescot.
1946-1950 Went into his own business as a Manufacturers’ Representative.
1950 - He was forced to take asylum for several months in the Mexican Embassy at Bourdon, near Port-au-Prince after receiving threats of imprisonment and assassination from members of the Government of Président Dumarsais Estimé because of his anti-government political activities. Under the pressure of the Mexican Government through its Ambassador Talaveras, he was given safe conduct to New York City where he was granted political asylum and residency status.
December 6th, 1950 - May 5th, 1951 - Appointed as Minister of Commerce, Agriculture and National Economy in the first Ministerial Cabinet of Géneral Paul E. Magloire, Président of Haiti.
June 1951- November 1952 - Nominated General Consul of Haiti in New York, NY.
December 1952 - March 1957 - Promoted to the rank of Minister Plenipotentiary and Ambassador to Panama and Costa Rica. After five years in the diplomatic service, he returned home and occasionally represented the Government of Haiti overseas in many important Committees and Commissions such as the Alliance for Progress (AOE, CEPL, and BID), the “Institute of Inter-American Affairs”, Diplomatic/Commercial Missions, Studies, Agricultural/Commercial Delegations and Conferences.
195? -Awarded the Grade of Commandeur of the National Order of “Honour” and Merit by the Government of Haiti.
March 1957 - Turned in his resignation to the Government of Haiti at the end of the Géneral Paul Magloire’s presidency.
1960 - Supervised the operation of a large sisal plantation, Plantation Dauphin, in Fort Liberté, Haiti
Social Activities
1949 - Co-founder and three-term President of the amateur Radio Club of Haiti.
Co-founder and first President of the social club “Ambassadeur” in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
1950 - Elected Secretary/Treasurer of the Chamber of Commerce of Haiti.
1957 - 1962 – Was elected for three terms President of the Chamber of Commerce of Haiti, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Other Professional Activities
Entrepreneur, Businessman, Business-Management-Industrial-Political Consultant
