Background
Dalton Shears was born on January 23, 1931 Freetown, Western Area, Sierra Leone.
Dalton Shears was born on January 23, 1931 Freetown, Western Area, Sierra Leone.
Educated at the Prince of Wales School before going to London to the Balham and Tooting College of Commerce, where he qualified as an accountant and gained a diploma in statistics.
He started work with the London accountants, W. Shelker and Co., returning home in May 1962 to win the elections as an All Peoples’ Congress member for York District. An active member of the opposition during the Sierra Leone People’s Party governments, he won again in the elections of April 1967 but was prevented from taking up his seat by the military intervention.
When government was restored in April 1968 he became Minister of Communications in Siaka Stevens’ first cabinet. Reshuffled to Trade and Industry in April 1969 he became Minister for Works in April 1970.
After the April 1973 elections when APC won all the scats, he was appointed Minister of Housing and Country Planning.
Though he shuns publicity he is generally regarded in Sierra Leone as one of the top four ministers and most effective at his job. He was an opposition member in the days of the previous Sierra Leone People’s Party government. He brings top level Creole support to President Stevens.
