Dominique Aplogan (April 25, 1913 – November 3, 1989) was a

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...

ese physician and

political figure A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

most active when his country was known as

Dahomey The Kingdom of Dahomey () was a West African kingdom located within present-day Benin that existed from approximately 1600 until 1904. Dahomey developed on the Abomey Plateau amongst the Fon people in the early 17th century and became a region ...

Biography

Dominique Aplogan was born on April 25, 1913, in

Abomey Abomey is the capital of the Zou Department of Benin. The commune of Abomey covers an area of 142 square kilometres and, as of 2012, had a population of 90,195 people. Abomey houses the Royal Palaces of Abomey, a collection of small traditional ...

to an influential chiefly family. He attended

William Ponty school William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conques ...

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 � ...

and subsequently became a physician. Moving back to Dahomey to practice his profession, Dominique Aplogan quickly entered politics. He ran under the label of the

Dahomeyan Progressive Union The Dahomeyean Progressive Union (french: Union Progressiste Dahoméenne, UPD) was a political party in Dahomey. History The party was established in April 1946 by Augustin Kokou Azango and Émile Derlin Zinsou, and was the first political par ...

for the first Territorial Council elections of his country and was elected on January 5, 1947. He failed to be re-elected in

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

but became Deputy in 1959 for the last legislative elections under French supervision before the independence of Dahomey. In the meantime, he was

Émile Poisson Émile Poisson (25 May 1905 in Ouidah, Dahomey – 4 June 1999 in Paris), was a politician from Benin who served in the French Senate from 1947 to 1955. He was a métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's ...

’s running mate, leader of the list of the African People's Bloc, in the French legislative elections of 1951 but both lost out to

Sourou-Migan Apithy Sourou-Migan Marcellin Joseph Apithy (April 8, 1913 – December 3, 1989) was a Beninese political figure most active when his country was known as Dahomey. He arose on a political scene where one's power was dictated by what region in Dahomey o ...

of the List of the French Union and

Hubert Maga Coutoucou Hubert Maga (August 10, 1916 – May 8, 2000) was a politician from Dahomey (now known as Benin).Dahomey was renamed Benin in 1975. Se''New York Times'' obituary He arose on a political scene where one's power was dictated by what regi ...

of the

Ethnic Group of the North The Dahomeyan Democratic Movement (french: Mouvement Démocratique Dahoméen, MDD) was a political party in French Dahomey. History The MDD was established in northern Dahomey by Hubert Maga in 1951 as the Ethnic Group of the North (''Groupement ...

who became the two deputies of Dahomey at the

French National Assembly The National Assembly (french: link=no, italics=set, Assemblée nationale; ) is the lower house of the bicameral French Parliament under the Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known a ...

. Despite his political commitment, Dominique Aplogan never stopped practicing his professional activity and was promoted on March 28, 1962, as chief physician of the Cotonou medical district. A few months later, Hubert Maga asked him to join his government, first as Secretary of State in charge of African and Malagasy Affairs on November 16, 1962, then as Minister of Posts and Telecommunications from September 11 to October 28, 1963 when Colonel

Christophe Soglo Christophe Soglo (28 June 1909 – 7 October 1983) was a Beninese military officer and political leader. Early life Christophe Soglo was born on 28 June 1909 in Abomey, French Dahomey to a chiefly Fon family. Military career In 1931 Soglo vol ...

took control of the country to prevent a civil war. The latter appointed him, on March 30, 1967, Minister delegated to the President in charge of Defence, then on May 16 of the same year, Minister of Transport and Posts and Telecommunications until a new military putsch on December 17, 1967. Dominique Aplogan was replaced by Captain Issa Raïmi Lawani. Dominique Aplogan died on November 3, 1989.

Awards and honors

BEN National Order of Dahomey - Officer BAR

Officer of the National Order of Dahomey * BEN National Order of Dahomey - Grand Officer BAR

Grand Officer of the National Order of Dahomey

Notes

Footnotes

References

Websites

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Law

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Books

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aplogan, Dominique 1913 births 1989 deaths Government ministers of Benin 20th-century Beninese politicians People of French West Africa