During the Haitian civil war of 1912, Oreste Zamor and his brother Charles, both generals, supported Caimito Ramírez and harbored his troops within their districts.

In 1914, the two brothers entered the war, resulting in a "short and extremely chaotic" presidency for Oreste from February 8 to October 29 of that year.

[1] He was opposed in his bid for the presidency by General Davilmar Théodore, who refused to recognize his authority, and by U.S. businessmen who had financial interests in Haiti.

The French and German governments opposed U.S. demands, and Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan submitted a modified proposal (the Farnham Plan, involving oversight of customs and Haitian finance and credit) to Charles Zamor.

[6] In March 1915, Oreste Zamor returned from exile by landing in the Dominican Republic, crossing the border and heading to Hinche, his residence - his entry was received with emotion.