Vertical
Profile
Overview
J. B. Danquah
Joseph Kwame Kyeretwie Boakye Danquah was a Ghanaian politician, scholar, lawyer and statesman. He was a politician in pre- and post-colonial Ghana, which was formerly the Gold Coast, and is credited with giving Ghana its current name
18December
1895
18 December 1895
Born
Danquah was born on 18 December 1895 in the town of Bepong in Kwahu in the Eastern Region of Ghana (then the Gold Coast).
19July
1920
19 July 1920
Early life and education
He was descended from the influential royal family of Ofori Panin Fie in Ghana, and after completing his education in law in Britain, he became the first West African to earn a Doctor of Philosophy degree from a British university, and he was actively involved in student politics during his time in London.
19July
1927
19 July 1927
Career
Upon his return to Ghana in 1927, Danquah entered private legal practice, co-founded the Gold Coast Youth Conference (GCYC) with J. E. Casely Hayford in 1929, served as its Secretary General from 1937 to 1947, established The Times of West Africa (the first daily newspaper in Ghana) in 1931, and became an executive member of the International African Friends of Ethiopia in 1935. He had two wives and was actively involved in various social and political activities.
19July
1928
19 July 1928
Publications
Danquah's writings include "Gold Coast: Akan Laws and Customs and the Akim Abuakwa Constitution" (1928), "The Third Woman" (1943), and "The Akan Doctrine of God" (1944), with the latter book being a significant milestone for African Protestants seeking to reconcile African heritage with Christianity due to its demonstration of the compatibility of African religion with the faith.
19July
1947
19 July 1947
Politics
Danquah, a key figure in Ghana's independence movement, actively pursued independence legislation, co-founded the pro-independence United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), and initially supported Nkrumah's idea to rename the Gold Coast as Ghana, but their differing views led to a split, with Nkrumah forming the Convention People's Party (CPP) and becoming the first president of independent Ghana.
19July
1948
19 July 1948
Danquah's role in the founding of the University of Ghana
Danquah played a significant role in the establishment of the University of Ghana, the country's premier and largest university, successfully advocating for its founding in 1948 despite initial recommendations for a single university college to be located in Nigeria for the whole of West Africa.
19July
196019 July 1960
Arrest, detention and death
Danquah ran as a presidential candidate against Nkrumah in 1960 but lost, and was subsequently arrested twice under the Preventive Detention Act on alleged subversion charges, experiencing a heart attack and passing away while in detention in 1965, eventually receiving a national funeral after the overthrow of the CPP government in 1966.
19July
1968
19 July 1968
Legacy
The J. B. Danquah Memorial Lecture Series, initiated in 1968, honors his memory as a founding member of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Danquah Institute was established to commemorate his work and promote his ideas after his passing, while Danquah Circle in Accra was named in his honor.
Similar Timelines to Explore
Expolore similar timelines on Timepath and dive deeper into the subject of J. B. Danquah. Your journey through connected events and stories starts here. Missed something? We would love to hear your suggestions for additional timelines.