Léopold Sédar Senghor

Senghor, Léopold Sédar (1906– ), Senegalese statesman and poet, Senegal's first president (1960–80), and first black member of the French academy (1984). He became known for his philosophy of négritude, a concept of socialism incorporating black African values and rejected the French policy of assimilation.

See also: Senegal.