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Edward Akufo-Addo
Akufo-Addo
5th President of Ghana
In office 31 August 1970 – 13 January 1972
Prime Minister	Kofi Busia (1969-1972)
Preceded by	Nii Amaa Ollennu
Succeeded by	Gen. I.K. Acheampong
3rd Chief Justice of Ghana (15th including Gold Coast)
In office 1966 – 1970
Preceded by	J. Sarkodee-Addo
Succeeded by	Edmund A.L. Bannerman
Born	26 June 1906(1906-06-26) Dodowa, Gold Coast
Died	17 July 1979 (aged 73) Accra, Ghana
Nationality	Ghanaian
Political party	non-partisan
Spouse(s)	Mrs. Adeline Y. Akufo-Addo (née Nana Yeboakua Ofori-Atta)
Children	Nana Addo Dankwa
Profession	Judge / Lawyer
Religion	Christian
Ceremonial President with executive powers vested in Prime Minister

Edward Akufo-Addo (26 June 1906 – 17 July 1979) was a politician and lawyer in Ghana. He was one of the Big Six in the fight for Ghana's independence. He also became the Chief Justice and later President of the Republic of Ghana.

[edit] Education

Akufo-Addo was born at Dodowa.^[1] He had his basic education at Presbyterian Primary and Middle Schools at Dodowa.^[1] In 1929, he entered Achimota College, from where he won a scholarship to St Peter's College, Oxford University, where he studied Mathematics, Politics and Philosophy.^[1]

[edit] Pre-political career

Akufo-Addo was called to the Middle Temple Bar, London, UK in 1940^[1] and returned to what was then the Gold Coast to start a private legal practice a year later.

[edit] Early political career

In 1947, he became a founding member of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) and was one of the "Big Six" detained after disturbances in Accra. From 1949–1950, he was a member of the Gold Coast Legislative Council and the Coussey Constitutional Commission.

[edit] Post-independence career

After independence (1962–1964), Akufo-Addo was a Supreme Court Judge (One of three Judges who sat on Treason trial involving Tawiah 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). From 1966–1970, he was appointed Chief Justice by the National Liberation Council (NLC) regime as well as Chairman of the Constitutional Commission (Commission that drafted the 1969 Second Republican Constitution). He was also head of the NLC Political Commission during this same time period. 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. He was a ceremonial President and had no executive powers as all powers lay with the Prime Minister, Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia. On 17 July 1979, Akufo-Addo died of natural causes.

[edit] Family

Akufo-Addo married Nana Yeboakua Ofori-Atta, Abontendomhemma and a daughter of Nana Sir Ofori Atta I, a former Okyenhene of the Akyem Abuakwa state in the Eastern Region of Ghana.^[2] His son, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo came second in the Ghanaian presidential election in 2008.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• The Big Six
• Chief Justice of Ghana
• Heads of state of Ghana
• List of Ghana Heads of state by age

[edit] External links

• Ghanaweb.com on Akufo-Addo
• The Statesman (founded by Akufo-Addo) on the Statesman

v • d • e      Heads of state and Prime Ministers of the Republic of Ghana      Presidents (1960-) Nkrumah • Ankrah † • Afrifa † • Ollennu* • Akufo-Addo • Acheampong † • Akuffo † • Rawlings † • Limann • Rawlings • Kufuor • Mills Prime Ministers Kwame Nkrumah (1957-60) • Kofi Abrefa Busia (1969-72) † military     * interim

v • d • e      Chief Justices of Ghana Nkrumah era Sir Kobina Arku Korsah • J. Sarkodee-Addo Military rule Edward Akufo-Addo† •  Edmund A.L. Bannerman • Samuel Azu Crabbe • Fred Apaloo † •  E. N. P. Sowah Democratic era Philip Edward Archer† •  Isaac Kobina Abban • Edward Kwame Wiredu • George Kingsley Acquah • Georgina Wood † served in both military and democratic eras

v • d • e      The Big Six (Ghana) Ebenezer Ako-Adjei    •   Edward Akufo-Addo    •   J. B. Danquah    •   Kwame Nkrumah    •   Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey    •   William Ofori Atta