Edward Akufo-Addo

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Akufo-Addo (Edward) (26 June 1906 in Akropong-Akwapim – 17 July 1979) was a politician and lawyer in Ghana.

1 Education
2 Pre-political career
3 Early political career
4 Post-independence career

[edit] Education

Akufo-Addo attended Achimota College, (won scholarship) to St Peter's College, Oxford University, where he studied Mathematics, Politics and Philosophy.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Early political career

In 1947, he became a Founding Member of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) and was one of "Big Six" detained after disturbances in Accra. From 1949–1950, he was a Member, Gold Coast Legislative Council, 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, Aku Adjei and three other 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 in the 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'etat in 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. In 1979, Akufo-Addo died of natural causes.