'Edward Oliver LeBlanc' (
October 3,
1923 –
October 29,
2004) was a
Dominican politician.
LeBlanc was born in
Vieille Case. He joined the
Dominica Labour Party in
1957. He joined the government of the
Federation of the West Indies in
Trinidad in
1960, but returned to Dominica later that year to become the leader of his party. He won a seat in the
House of Assembly in
1961.
LeBlanc served as
chief minister of Dominica from January 1961 to
March 1 1967. In March 1967, when the British granted Dominica more self-government, LeBlanc became
premier.
LeBlanc tried to implement
socialist policies in Dominica. He was committed to helping poor workers, whom he called "little men", a catchphrase which still remains in Dominican politics. He was very popular voters, winning three elections in three different constituencies, and is believed by many to be one of the founders of the Dominican nation. He unexpectedly resigned on
July 27 1974, and retired from politics and public life. He did not explain his retirement, and refused to give interviews, but it is believed that he was tired of the opposition to his policies by many in the government. He returned to Vieille Case, where he died.