Edward Akufo-Addo JSC (26 June 1906 – 17 July 1979)[1][2] was a Ghanaian politician and lawyer. He was a member of the "Big Six" leaders of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) and one of the founding fathers of Ghana who engaged in the fight for Ghana's independence.[3] He became the Chief Justice (1966–70), and later ceremonial President (1970–72), of the Republic of Ghana.[4] He is the father of the current (executive) President of Ghana, Nana Addo Akufo-Addo.[5]
Edward Akufo-Addo | |
|---|---|
 Edward Akufo-Addo | |
| 4th President of Ghana | |
| In office 31 August 1970 – 13 January 1972 | |
| Prime Minister | Kofi Abrefa Busia |
| Preceded by | Nii Amaa Ollennu (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Ignatius Kutu Acheampong |
| 3rd Chief Justice of Ghana | |
| In office 1966–1970 | |
| Preceded by | J. Sarkodee-Addo |
| Succeeded by | Edmund Alexander Lanquaye Bannerman |
| Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana | |
| In office 1962–1964 | |
| President | Kwame Nkrumah |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 26 June 1906 Dodowa, Gold Coast |
| Died | 17 July 1979 (aged 73) Accra, Ghana |
| Nationality | Ghanaian |
| Political party | Non-partisan |
| Spouse | Adeline Y. Akufo-Addo (née Nana Yeboakua Ofori-Atta) (d. 2004) |
| Children | 4, including Nana Akufo-Addo |
| Education | Presbyterian Training College, Akropong Achimota College St Peter's College, Oxford Middle Temple |
| Profession |
|
| Religion | Presbyterian |
| |
Early life and education
editAkufo-Addo was born on 26 June 1906 at Dodowa in the Greater Accra Region to William Martin Addo-Danquah and Theodora Amuafi. Both of his parents were from the southern Ghanaian town of Akropong.[6] He had his primary education at Presbyterian Primary and Middle Schools at Akropong. He continued to Presbyterian Training College, Akropong and Abetifi Theological Training College. In 1929, he entered Achimota College, where he won a scholarship to St Peter's College, Oxford. He studied mathematics, Politics and Philosophy and he went on to graduate with honours in philosophy and politics in 1933.
Pre-political career
editAkufo-Addo was called to the Middle Temple Bar, London, UK, in 1940[7] and returned to what was then the Gold Coast to start a private legal practice a year later in Accra.[4]
Early political career
editIn 1947, he became a founding member of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) and was one of the "Big Six" (the others being Ebenezer Ako-Adjei, Joseph Boakye Danquah, Kwame Nkrumah, Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey and William Ofori Atta) detained after disturbances in Accra in 1948.[7] From 1949 to 1950, he was a member of the Gold Coast Legislative Council and the Coussey Constitutional Commission.[4]
Post-independence career
editAfter independence (1962–64), Akufo-Addo was a Supreme Court Judge, one of three judges who sat on the treason trial involving Tawia Adamafio, Ako Adjei and three others after the Kulungugu bomb attack on President Kwame Nkrumah and for doing so was dismissed with fellow judges for finding some of the accused not guilty.[2]
From 1966 to 1970, Akufo-Addo was appointed Chief Justice by the National Liberation Council (NLC) regime, as well as Chairman of the Constitutional Commission (which drafted the 1969 Second Republican Constitution).[7] He was also head of the NLC Political Commission during this same time period.[4]
From 31 August 1970 until his deposition by coup d'état on 13 January 1972, Akufo-Addo was President of Ghana in the Second Republic. Real power rested with the prime minister, Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia. On 17 July 1979, Akufo-Addo died of natural causes.[8]
Personal life
editAdeline Yeboakwa Akufo-Addo was the wife of Edward Akufo-Addo[9] and they had four children.
Awards and honors
edit- Honorary Doctorate from the University of Oxford in 1971.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Goldsworthy, David (1973). "Ghana's Second Republic: A Post-Mortem". African Affairs. 72 (286): 8–25. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a096326. ISSN 0001-9909. JSTOR 720579.
- ^ a b "August 28, 1970: Edward Akuffo-Addo is named President of the 2nd Republic". Ghana History Moments. Edward A. Ulzen Memorial Foundation. 28 August 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
- ^ Ngnenbe, Timothy (4 August 2020). "Ghana pays tribute to founders' - Graphic Online". www.graphic.com.gh. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Edward Akufo-Addo". Ghana Web. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
- ^ "Big Six Enduring Lessons From The Founding Fathers Of Ghana". Retrieved 27 August 2021.
- ^ Dictionary of African Biography. OUP USA. 2 February 2012. p. 154. ISBN 978-0-195-38207-5.
- ^ a b c "Akora Justice Edward Akufo-Addo", Old Achimotan Association.
- ^ "Edward Akufo-Addo" Archived 11 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Ghana Nation.
- ^ "Ghana Famous People: Edward Akufo-Addo". mobile.ghanaweb.com. GanaWeb. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
External links
edit- "Dr. Edward Akufo Addo", Ghana Nation, 15 November 2011.