President of the Republic of Congo from 1965 to 1997 who was installed by the US. While in power he established a single-party state in which all power was in his hands.
He learned to speak French fluently when he was young, joined the Army, and later worked as a Journalist.
He renamed the Republic of Congo to Zaire in 1971 and in 1997 rebel forces led by Laurent Kabila expelled him from the country.
He was married twice, and had fourteen children between the two marriages.
While in office, he made friends with many U.S. Presidents including Richard Nixon.
