Heureaux received some schooling in a Methodist mission and then joined a revolt against Spain in the early 1860s, distinguishing himself as a soldier. Following Dominican independence and years of internal chaos, Heureaux became president in 1882 and exiled Luperón, his former leader. In 1884 and 1886 he selected his country's presidents while he continued to direct the government; from 1887 to his death he ruled officially and uninterruptedly after abolishing the constitutional barrier against reelection.

Heureaux imposed order on the Dominican Republic by executing anyone who opposed him. Relative peace during his regime encouraged agriculture and trade and especially the growing of sugar, which became the country's chief export. Under Heureaux, the economy improved, the infrastructure was modernized, and political order was established—but at the price of dictatorship and corruption. His improvident dealings with the San Domingo Improvement Company of New York—which floated loans, built railways, and took over the collection of customs—left the country bankrupt and led to interference in the country's affairs by the United States after Heureaux was assassinated by political enemies.