Lamine Guèye

Lamine Guèye (20 September 1891 in Médine, French Sudan – 10 June 1968 in Dakar) was a Senegalese politician who became leader of the Parti Sénégalais de l'Action Socialiste ("Senegalese Party of Socialist Action"). In 1945 he and his associate, Léopold Sédar Senghor, were elected to represent Senegal in the French National Assembly. Gueye was also elected to the French Senate in 1958. He gave his name to the 1946 Lamine Guèye law (Loi Lamine Guèye) which granted French citizenship to all inhabitants of France's overseas colonies.

Lamine Guèye was born in Médine, French Sudan (now part of Mali), on 20 September 1891. He was educated in France, where he graduated as a lawyer in 1921.

Mural of Lamine Guèye in Dakar, Senegal

Upon his return to Africa, Guèye founded a political party and became mayor of Saint-Louis, Senegal, in 1924.

He became leader of the French Socialist Party in Senegal in 1937, and was elected as one of two Senegalese representatives to the National Assembly alongside Léopold Senghor in 1944. He was elected once again the following year, and also became mayor of Dakar. Guèye pursued what would become known as the Lamine Guèye law (Loi Lamine Guèye), which sought to give equal rights to all natives of French overseas territories. This was enacted on May 7, 1946.

Guèye lost his seat in the Assembly in 1951 elections after Senghor left to form his own party. Guèye reconciled with Senghor, and was once again elected in 1958. A year later, he was elected as the first President of the independent National Assembly of Senegal.

He died in Dakar on 10 June 1968. At the time, he was the President of the National Assembly.

He was the grandfather of Senegalese alpine skier Lamine Guèye.