Person

Forbes Burnham

1923–1985 · 20th century · Also known as Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham

Forbes Burnham was a lawyer who co-founded the People's Progressive Party with Cheddi Jagan, then broke away to lead the People's National Congress, drawing support mainly from African Guyanese. He became premier of British Guiana in 1964 and led Guyana to independence in 1966. He declared the Co-operative Republic in 1970, nationalised the bauxite and sugar industries, and was executive president from 1980 until his death.

Forbes Burnham
Image: Fotograaf Onbekend / Anefo · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 state histories

British GuianaCo-operative Republic of Guyana

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Forbes Burnham. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/forbes-burnham
MLA
“Forbes Burnham.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/forbes-burnham. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Forbes Burnham.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/forbes-burnham.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Forbes Burnham’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/forbes-burnham (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻