Edward Akufo-Addo

Infobox_President
name = Edward Akufo-Addo


imagesize = 120px
caption = Akufo-Addo
order =5th President of Ghana
term_start =August 31, 1970
term_end =January 13, 1972
vicepresident =
viceprimeminister=
deputy =
president =
primeminister =Dr. K. A. Busia (1969-1972)
predecessor =Nii Amaa Ollennu
successor =Gen. I.K. Acheampong
order2 =3rd Chief Justice of Ghana
(15^th including Gold Coast)
term_start2 = 1966
term_end2 = 1970
predecessor2 = J. Sarkodee-Addo
successor2 = Edmund A.L. Bannerman
birth_date =birth date|1906|6|26|mf=y
birth_place =Dodowa, Ghana
death_date =death date and age|1979|7|17|1906|6|26|mf=y
death_place =Accra, Ghana
constituency =
party =non-partisan
spouse =Mrs. Adeline Y. Akufo-Addo
children =Nana Addo Dankwa
profession =Judge / Lawyer
religion =Christian
nationality = flagicon|GHA Ghanaian


footnotes =Ceremonial President with executive powers vested in Prime Minister
free_label = Appointed by
free = Joseph Arthur Ankrah| 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.

Education

Akufo-Addo was born at Dodowa.cite web|url=http://www.ghana50.gov.gh/presidency/index.php?op=getAkufoAddo |title=Leaders of Ghana:Edward Akuffo Addo |accessdate=2007-04-15 |work=Official website for the 50th Independence Anniversary Celebrations of Ghana |publisher=Ghana government] He had his basic education at Presbyterian Primary and Middle Schools at Dodowa. 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.

Pre-political career

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

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.

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 August 31, 1970 until his deposition by coup d'état on January 13, 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 July 17, 1979, Akufo-Addo died of natural causes.

References

ee also

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

External links

* [http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/people/pop-up.php?ID=123 Ghanaweb.com on Akufo-Addo]
* [http://www.thestatesmanonline.com/pages/about_us.php?id=1 The Statesman (founded by Akufo-Addo) on the Statesman]