21 Facts About Raymond Joseph

Raymond Alcide Joseph was born on August 31,1931 and is a Haitian diplomat, journalist, political activist and author.

Raymond Joseph was the Haitian ambassador to the United States from 2005 to 2010, and he resigned to be considered for candidacy in the 2010 Haitian presidential election.

Raymond Joseph is founder of the largest Haitian newspaper Haiti Observateur, based out of Brooklyn, New York, that circulates not only for the Haitian diaspora but in Haiti as well.

Raymond Joseph infamously ran an informant operation of sources surrounding, in, and out of the presidential palace in Haiti during the Duvalier authoritarian years, that leaked information for him to report, all while avoiding an attempt on his life.

Raymond Joseph is a second cousin to the singer and rapper Wyclef Jean from his mother's side.

Raymond Joseph spent his early years surrounded by Christian missionaries.

At birth, Raymond Joseph was refused Dominican Republic citizenship in several attempts.

Raymond Joseph enrolled in the Pastor's Course at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois, in 1954.

Raymond Joseph was especially interested to study Ancient Greek and Hebrew so that he could make the first translation of the Bible for the Haitian people.

In 1957, the dictator Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier was elected President of Haiti, and Raymond Joseph became increasingly uncomfortable with the government.

Raymond Joseph returned to the United States in 1961 and enrolled in the University of Chicago where he earned an MA in Social Anthropology in 1963.

Raymond Joseph subsequently moved to New York and became a leader in the opposition movement against the Duvalier regime.

Raymond Joseph subsequently worked as a reporter at the Wall Street Journal and a columnist at the New York Sun.

Raymond Joseph turned his attention to the ongoing authoritative Duvalier regime in Haiti and built a network of informants inside the presidential palace of Port-au-Prince.

However, during a flight to New York, one of Raymond Joseph's sources was on the same plane and managed to tip him off.

In 1990, Raymond Joseph was appointed the Haitian Government's charge d'affaires in Washington, DC, and the representative of the Haitian Government to the Organization of American States.

In 1991 Raymond Joseph returned to the Haiti Observateur where he remained until 2004, when he was again appointed Charge d'Affaires in Washington, DC In 2005 acting president Boniface Alexandre chose Raymond Joseph to be Haiti's ambassador to the United States.

Raymond Joseph authored a book, For Whom the Dogs Spy: Haiti From the Duvalier Dictatorships to the Earthquake, Four Presidents, and Beyond, detailing the Duvalier regime right up until the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

On July 27,2010, Raymond Joseph confirmed his intention to run for President of Haiti in the November 28,2010, election.

Raymond Joseph resigned the ambassadorship on August 1,2010, and moved to Port-au-Prince.

Raymond Joseph was dismissed from the Haitian presidential race by Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council.