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 (as Head of State) |
| 3rd Chief Justice of Ghana | |
| In office 1966–1970 | |
| Preceded by | J. Sarkodee-Addo |
| Succeeded by | Edmund Alexander Lanquaye Bannerman |
| Justice of theSupreme Court of Ghana | |
| In office 1962–1964 | |
| President | Kwame Nkrumah |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1906-06-26)26 June 1906 Dodowa,Gold Coast |
| Died | 17 July 1979(1979-07-17) (aged 73) |
| Nationality | Ghanaian |
| Party | Independent United Gold Coast Convention |
| Spouse | Adeline Y. Akufo-Addo (née Nana Yeboakua Ofori-Atta) (d. 2004) |
| Children | 4, includingNana Akufo-Addo |
| Education | Presbyterian Training College, Akropong Achimota College St Peter's College, Oxford Middle Temple |
| Profession |
|
| Religion | Presbyterian |
| |
Edward Akufo-AddoJSC (26 June 1906 – 17 July 1979)[1][2] was a Ghanaian politician and lawyer. He was a member of the "Big Six" leaders of theUnited Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) and one of the founding fathers of Ghana who engaged in the fight for Ghana's independence.[3] He became theChief Justice (1966–70), and laterceremonialPresident (1970–72), of the Republic of Ghana.[4] He is the father of the former (executive) President of Ghana,Nana Addo Akufo-Addo.[5]
Akufo-Addo was born on 26 June 1906 atDodowa in theGreater Accra Region to William Martin Addo-Danquah and Theodora Amuafi. Both of his parents were from the southern Ghanaian town ofAkropong.[6] He had his primary education at Presbyterian Primary and Middle Schools atAkropong. He continued toPresbyterian Training College, Akropong and Abetifi Theological Training College. In 1929, he enteredAchimota College, where he won a scholarship toSt Peter's College, Oxford. He studied mathematics, Politics and Philosophy and he went on to graduate with honours in philosophy and politics in 1933.
Akufo-Addo was called to theMiddle Temple Bar,London,UK, in 1940[7] and returned to what was then theGold Coast to start a private legal practice a year later inAccra.[4]
In 1947, he became a founding member of theUnited Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) and was one of the "Big Six" (the others beingEbenezer Ako-Adjei,Joseph Boakye Danquah,Kwame Nkrumah,Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey andWilliam 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]
After independence (1962–64), Akufo-Addo was aSupreme Court Judge, one of three judges who sat on the treason trial involvingTawia Adamafio,Ako Adjei and three others after theKulungugu bomb attack on PresidentKwame 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 appointedChief Justice by theNational 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 wasPresident of Ghana in the Second Republic. His role was largely ceremonial, with real power vested in the prime minister, DrKofi Abrefa Busia. On 17 July 1979, Akufo-Addo died of natural causes.[8]
Adeline Yeboakwa Akufo-Addo was the wife of Edward Akufo-Addo[9] and they had four children.
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Chief Justice of Ghana 1966–1970 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | President of Ghana 1970–1972 | Succeeded by |
| Queen (1957–1960) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| President of the First Republic (1960–1966) | ||
| Military regime (1966–1969) | ||
| President of the Second Republic (1969–1972) | ||
| Military regime (1972–1979) | ||
| President of the Third Republic (1979–1981) | ||
| Military regime (1981–1993) | ||
| President of the Fourth Republic (from 1993) | ||
*Acting President | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
