A number of the former leaders of the Communist Party of Tajikistan perished in the Great Purge of the 1930s.

After World War II every appointed First Secretary was a Tajik from the region of Leninabad, now named Sughd.

This was a reflection of the fact that the leadership of Uzbekistan highly influenced the appointment of leaders in Tajikistan and chose leaders from Leninabad because of its historic ties to Uzbekistan's urban centers in the Fergana Valley.

The longest serving First Secretary was Jabbor Rasulov, who came to power in 1961 and died in office in 1982.

One of the most celebrated First Secretaries was Bobojon Ghafurov, a renowned scholar who wrote numerous works on the history of Tajikistan.