Origins & Early Life

Kamal Hossain (born 20 April 1937), better known as Dr. Kamal, is a founding leader, lawyer and politician of Bangladesh. He is known as the "Father of the Bangladeshi Constitution" and regarded as an icon of secular democracy in the Indian subcontinent. Hossain currently heads his own law firm in Dhaka.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He retired from political activities and from the post of president of Gano Forum in October 2023. Hossain studied in the United States at the University of Notre Dame and in the United Kingdom at the University of Oxford. He was called to the bar of England and Wales in Lincoln's Inn in 1959. Hossain enrolled as an advocate in the High Court of East Pakistan. He worked on cases with prominent Pakistani lawyers early in his legal career, including with former Prime Minister Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Hossain often worked on missing persons cases during the regime of military ruler Ayub Khan. Between 1961 and 1968, he taught law at Dhaka University. Hossain was the lawyer for the Awami League and its leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman during the Agartala Conspiracy Case. He was elected as the Vice Chairman of the Pakistan Bar Council in 1970 before the breakup of Pakistan. In 1971, he was...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Alain Badiou — Contemporary (Born in 1937) (1937): Influential French philosopher known for 'Being and Event' and universalism.
• Aleksandr Medved — Contemporary (Born in 1937) (1937): Legendary Soviet/Belarussian freestyle wrestler, celebrated for Olympic dominance.
• Andrew Mellon — Contemporary (Died in 1937) (1937): American banker, industrialist, and politician who served as Secretary of the Treasury.
• 3rd Dalai Lama — Shared historical date (04-20 · Died) (1588): Founding figure of the Dalai Lama lineage, pivotal to Gelug school's rise in Tibet.
• Aloysius Bertrand — Shared historical date (04-20 · Born) (1807): French Romantic poet, pioneer of prose poetry, and Symbolist forerunner.
• Anthony Hopkins — Historical peer (Born in 1937) (1937): Esteemed Welsh actor celebrated for powerful stage and screen performances.
• Antonio Gramsci — Historical peer (Died in 1937) (1937): Italian Marxist philosopher known for his theory of cultural hegemony.
• Alan Arkin — Historical peer (Died in 2023) (2023): Esteemed American actor, filmmaker, and musician with a seven-decade career.
• Ama Ata Aidoo — Historical peer (Died in 2023) (2023): Pioneering Ghanaian writer, poet, and academician celebrated for feminist themes.
• Ahlam Mosteghanemi — Historical peer (Born in 1959) (1959): Pioneering Algerian poet and novelist, celebrated for her evocative Arabic literature.
• 1937 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1937
• April 20 (04-20) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on April 20