Léopold Senghor biography

Profile

In 1935 Léopold Senghor became the first African agrégé. Drafted in 1939 at the beginning of World War II, he was captured in 1940 and spent two years in Nazi concentration camps. After the war he became a member of the French Constituent Assembly. In 1960 Senegal became an independent republic, and he was elected president. Senghor was reelected president in 1963 and retired on Dec. 31, 1980.