Passion or Profession: President

Period: 1924–2003

Daddah was born to a princely family in Mauritania and attended law school in France before marrying the daughter of French president Charles de Gaulle. He returned home and became a successful politician, eventually leading the country to independence in 1960. However, he soon instituted authoritarian rule and became increasingly less popular. He was overthrown by the military in 1978 and allowed to seek exile in France.