Forbes Burnham

Forbes Burnham
OE
Burnham in 1966
2nd President of Guyana
In office
6 October 1980 – 6 August 1985
Prime MinisterPtolemy Reid
Vice President
Preceded byArthur Chung
Succeeded byHugh Desmond Hoyte
1st prime minister of Guyana
(British Guiana until 1966)
In office
14 December 1964 – 6 October 1980
MonarchElizabeth II
PresidentArthur Chung
Preceded byCheddi Jagan
Succeeded byPtolemy Reid
Personal details
Born
Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham[1]

(1923-02-20)20 February 1923[1]
Kitty, Georgetown, Demerara County, British Guiana[1]
Died6 August 1985(1985-08-06) (aged 62)[1]
Georgetown, Demerara-Mahaica, Guyana[1]
Resting placeGuyana Botanical Gardens
NationalityGuyanese
Political party
Height1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[3]
Spouses
  • Sheila Bernice Lataste
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1951; div. 1966)​
    [2]
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1967)​
    [2]
RelationsJessie Burnham (sister)
Children6
Alma materUniversity of London
Nickname"Odo"[3]

Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham OE (20 February 1923 – 6 August 1985)[1] was a Guyanese politician and the leader of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana from 1964 until his death in 1985. He served as Premier of British Guiana from 1964 to 1966, Prime Minister of Guyana from 1964 to 1980 and then as the first executive president of Guyana (2nd president overall) from 1980 to 1985.[1] He is often regarded as a strongman[4] who embraced his own version of socialism.[5]

Educated as a lawyer, Burnham was instrumental in the foundation of two political parties (the People's National Congress and the People's Progressive Party) that would come to dominate the politics of Guyana.[3] During his time as head of government, Guyana moved from being a British colony to being a republic with no constitutional ties to the United Kingdom.[6] His premiership was characterized by the nationalisation of foreign-owned private industries,[1] membership of the Non-Aligned Movement[3] and authoritarian domestic policy.[7][8] Despite being widely regarded as having a significant role in the political, social, and economic development of Guyana,[9][10] his presidency was marred by accusations of Afrocentrism,[11] state-sanctioned violence,[12][13][14] corruption,[7] and electoral fraud.[15]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Francis, Berl (18 March 2015). "Forbes Burnham (1923–1985)". www.blackpast.org. Black Past. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  2. ^ a b Reece, Maggie (6 January 2012). "Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham: February 20, 1923 – August 6, 1985". Guyana Graphic. Archived from the original on 1 January 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference encyclopedia.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ George K. Danns (1 January 1982). Domination and Power in Guyana: A Study of the Police in a Third World Context. Transaction Publishers. pp. 141–. ISBN 978-1-4128-2190-2.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Moe was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference csind was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b Treaster, Joseph B. (13 October 1979). "Guyana's President Facing Biggest Challenge in 15 Years". New York Times. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Britannica was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "THE LIFE & LEGACY OF LFS BURNHAM, Part 1". Kaieteur News. 8 August 2010. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  10. ^ "Granger pays glowing tribute to Forbes Burnham". Guyana Times International. Guyana Times. 11 August 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference :22 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Symbiotic was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference Vidal and Whitehead was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference workersworld was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference N1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).