Victor Owusu
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Victor Owusu (1923 - 16 December 2000) is a former Ghanaian politician and lawyer. He has also served as Attorney General and Justice minister as well as foreign minister on two separate occasions.
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[edit] Early life
Victor trained as a lawyer. He was a prominent member of the National Liberation Movement which stood for the 1956 elections in the Gold Coast prior to elections.[1] During the First Republic, he was detained under the Preventive Detention Act (1958) by the Kwame Nkrumah government. He was released after the February 24, 1966 coup d'état which brought in the military National Liberation Council (NLC) government. He was appointed Attorney General and Minister for Justice by the NLC.
[edit] In Government
He was a member of the Progress Party that won the 1969 elections[2]. Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia appointed him foreign minister twice in the Second Republic. The first was in 1969 and the second was between 1969 and 1971. On both occasions, he took over the portfolio from Patrick Dankwa Anin who also served twice.[3] The Second Republic came to an end with the January 13, 1972 coup led by General (then Colonel) I.K. Acheampong.
[edit] Leader of the opposition
Victor Owusu was a founding member and leader of the Popular Front Party in the Third Republic. He was the runner-up to Dr. Hilla Limann of the People's National Party (PFP) in the 1979 Ghanaian presidential elections with 38% of the votes after the second round of voting.[4] After the election, the PFP merged with other opposition parties to form the All People's Party (AFP) under the leadership of Victor Owusu.[5] The AFP, along with other political parties, were banned after the December 31, 1981 coup by the Provisional National Defence Council led by Flt. Lt. Jerry Rawlings.
[edit] Later life
From 1991 until his death, Victor Owusu lived in Putney, London, UK. He died in London. He was married to Agnes Owusu.
[edit] Trivia
John Kufuor, president of Ghana, said he had practised as a junior in Victor Owusu's law firm.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ Elections in Ghana - 17 July 1956 Legislative Assembly Election. A database of election results in Sub-Saharan Africa. Albert C. Nunley. Retrieved on 2007-04-12.
- ^ Elections in Ghana - 29 August 1969 National Assembly Election. A database of election results in Sub-Saharan Africa. Albert C. Nunley. Retrieved on 2007-04-12.
- ^ B. Schemmel. Foreign ministers E-K - Ghana. Lists of heads of state of government and ministers of various countries. Rulers.org. Retrieved on 2007-04-12.
- ^ Elections in Ghana - June & July 1979 Presidential Election. A database of election results in Sub-Saharan Africa. Albert C. Nunley. Retrieved on 2007-04-12.
- ^ a b "State burial for Victor Owusu", General News of Friday, 9 February 2001, Ghana Home Page. Retrieved on 2007-05-04.
[edit] See also
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by ? |
Attorney General and Minister of Justice 1966 – 1969 [1] |
Succeeded by ? |
| Preceded by Patrick Dankwa Anin |
Foreign Minister 1969 |
Succeeded by Patrick Dankwa Anin |
| Preceded by Patrick Dankwa Anin |
Foreign Minister 1969 – 1971 |
Succeeded by William Ofori Atta |
| New title | Leader of the Opposition 1979 – 1981 |
Succeeded by Parties banned |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by New Party |
Leader of the Popular Front Party 1979 – ? |
Succeeded by Merged with other parties |
| Preceded by New Party |
Leader of the All People's Party ? – 1981 |
Succeeded by Parties banned |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Owusu, Victor |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Lawyer, politician and former attorney general and foreign minister of Ghana |
| DATE OF BIRTH | |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
