A LAWYER AND A GENTLEMANFrançois Alain Clérié was born in Jérémie Haiti on August 19, 1818.
As a young man, just out of his adolescent years, he was enrolled in the army as a soldier and served his country under the flag. It was in the aftermath of the epic struggle for the Independence of Haiti. At that time, every Haitian was conscious of his duty, of the tight sentiment of solidarity that should unite the children of a same nation.
In addition, all, young and old were advancing with enthusiasm and confidence to conquer the destiny they dreamed for Haiti.
Alain Clérié, raised in the school of Civism, learned early to love his country like one love his mother without words or fantasy. He learnt to love his nation with no self-interest; rare quality that can only be found among special people.
Well granted with intelligence, his aspirations were inclined toward the uppermost, meaning Beauteousness, Goodness and Truthfulness in their purest significance.
He taught of providing himself with a solid education. Poor, he did not have the means to go abroad to spend years on a College bench in order to saturate his mind with Latin and Greek, all filled with the philosophy of Sophocles, Homer, Horace or Cicerone. He only had to his reach, the school that Cléverain Hilaire had just opened in Jérémie in the beginning of the 19th century.
