Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham was born in Kitty, a suburb of Georgetown, Demerara, British Guiana.on February 20, 1923 He was one of three children born to James Ethelbert Burnham, Schoolmaster and Rachael Abigail Sampson. He attended Central High School and the country’s prestigious and elite Queen’s College exclusively for boys at that time.
In 1942, he won the Guyana Scholarship as the country’s top student. The country was, at that the time a colony of Britain. Burnham went on to study law and received a law degree from the LSE, University of London in 1948. He graduated with honours, making Guyana proud of his work.
On December 20, 1948, he left Liverpool England for the trans-Atlantic voyage to British Guiana via Halifax Nova Scotia, Canada and Brooklyn, New York.
Mr. Burnham was one of the principal founders of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) along with Dr. Cheddie and Mrs Janet Jagan, which was launched on January 1, 1950. Dr. Cheddi Jagan became PPP Leader, while Burnham became its Chairman.
In 1952, Burnham became the president of the party’s affiliated trade union and the British Guiana Labour Union. In 1953, the PPP won 18 of 24 seats in the first election permitted by the British colonial government and Mr. Forbes Burnham served as Minister of Education.
In 1955, there was a split in the PPP between Mr. Burnham and Dr. Jagan which led to Mr. Burnham forming the People’s National Congress (PNC). In the 1964 elections, The PNC with 41% of the vote formed a collation with the United Force (TUF) which won 12%(PPP won 46%) and Mr. Forbes Burnham became premier of British Guiana on 14 December 1964.
Mr. Burnham was first married to Bernice Lataste and had three children, Roxane, Annabelle, and Francesca. His second marriage was to Ms. Viola Harper and produced two daughters, Melanie and Ulele. Mr. and Ms. Burnham also adopted a another child, their son Kamana.
Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham was the leader of Guyana from 1964 until his death, first as Premier from 1964 to 1966, then as the Prime Minister from 1966 to 1980 and finally as President from 1980 to 1985. He was awarded Guyana’s highest national award, the Order of Excellence (O.E.).
NAME: Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, O.E., S.C., B.A., LL.B
DATE OF BIRTH: February 20, 1923. Kitty, British Guiana
PARENTS’ NAMES: James Ethelbert Burnham, Schoolmaster, and Rachael Abigail nee Sampson
EDUCATION:
- Kitty Methodist School, Central High School, Queen’s College
- 1936 – Centenary Exhibition, Government Junior Scholarship;
- 1937 – Percival Exhibition
- 1942 – British Guiana Scholarship, University of London; Gray’s Inn, London
MARITAL STATUS: Twice married
(1) May 1951 – Sheila Bernice nee Lataste, Three Daughters – Roxanne, Annabelle and Francesca.
(2) February 1967 – Viola Victorine nee Harper – Two daughters – Melanie and Ulele
CAREER:
- 1947 – President of the West Indian Student Union (London), Recipient of Best Speaker’s Cup (London)
- 1948 – Called to the Bar
- 1949 – Co-founder of People’s Progressive Party
- 1952 – Elected to Georgetown City Council
- 1953 – Minister of Education (after first election under Adult suffrage)
- 1957 – Founder of People’s National Congress
- 1957 – 64 – Leader of the opposition; President of the Guyana Bar Association
- 1959-64 – Mayor of Georgetown • 1963-65 –President of the Guyana Labour Union
- 1964 – Premier
- 1966 – Prime Minister
- 1973 – Order of Excellence of Guyana (O.E.)
- 1980 – President of Guyana
HONOURS RECEIVED:
- 1973 – Order of Excellence of Guyana (O.E.)
- 1975 – The Grand Cordon of L’ordre du Nil award from the Government of Egypt
- 1975 – The Jose Marti award from the Government of Cuba • An Honorary Doctorate of Law by Dalhousie University of Canada
- 1983 – Cruseiro De Sul, Brazil’s highest honor
- 1984 – Star of Planinay, Bulgaria’s highest award
- 1985 – Order of the Red Star, Yugoslavia’s highest award
RELIGION: Methodist
RECREATION: Swimming, horse-riding, billiards, patience, chess
DIED: August 6, 1985
