President Forbes Burnham Role Guyanese Politician Preceded by Forbes Burnham Education Tuskegee University | Religion Unification Church Succeeded by Desmond Hoyte Name Ptolemy Reid Resigned August 16, 1984 | |
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Born 8 May 1912 ( 1912-05-08 ) Political party People's National Congress Died September 2, 2003, Demerara Party People's National Congress | ||
Ptolemy Alexander Reid (May 8, 1918 in Dartmouth, Guyana – September 2, 2003) was a Guyanese veterinarian and politician who served as Prime Minister of Guyana from 1980 to 1984.
Reid studied veterinary medicine at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, but could not find employment in British Guiana, so he moved to England where he became a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, and then practiced in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. He returned to Guyana in 1958, and became involved in politics in 1960 when he joined the People's National Congress. He ran for office in 1961, hoping to represent the constituency of Pomeroon-Supenaam, but was unsuccessful.
When Forbes Burnham took power in 1964, Reid became a member of Burnham's cabinet, where he served as Deputy Premier and Minister of Home Affairs (1967-?), of Trade (1967); of Finance (1967–70); of Agriculture (1970-72); and of Agriculture and National Development (1972–74). In 1980, when Burnham resigned as Prime Minister to become President, Reid took his place.