Stephen Campbell was an Arawakan Guyanese politician and political activist, and the first Amerindian member of Parliament in Guyanese history.

Biography

Stephen Joseph Campbell was born to Tiburtio A. Campbell and his wife, Maria dos Santos, in Santa Rosa,

British Guiana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies, which resides on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first European to encounter Guiana was S ...

, on 26 December 1897. Both of Campbell's parents died when he was young, and he was subsequently raised by his grandmother. He was brought up as a devout Catholic. He studied at Santa Rosa Mission School, and subsequently worked for many years as a teacher and as a

catechist Catechesis (; from Greek: , "instruction by word of mouth", generally "instruction") is basic Christian religious education of children and adults, often from a catechism book. It started as education of converts to Christianity, but as the ...

in various regions of Guyana. Campbell married Umbelina Da Silva on 9 February 1928. On 10 September 1957, Campbell became the first Amerindian member of Parliament in Guyanese history, when he was elected onto the Legislative Council of British Guiana. He subsequently joined the

National Labour Front The National Labour Front (NLF) was a political party in Guyana. History The NLF was established by Lionel Luckhoo in 1956 after a split in the United Democratic Party.Odeen Ishmael (2002Cheddi Jagan - Glimpses of an Internationalist/ref> Luckh ...

. In 1961, Campbell changed parties to The United Force. In 1964, he became Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs. Campbell went to Toronto, Canada for medical treatment, and died there on 12 May 1966, just two weeks before Guyana won independence from Great Britain. He was buried in Canada.

Legacy

Campbell is widely regarded as a hero by Amerindian communities in Guyana, and his achievements are celebrated on 10 September every year as a part of Amerindian Heritage Month. Campbelltown has been named after Stephen Campbell. In 2018, the building of the Ministry of Citizenship was renamed after Campbell.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Stephen Indigenous people of South America Guyanese people of Arawak descent Guyanese politicians People from Barima-Waini 1897 births 1966 deaths Politicians from British Guiana