Kobina Arku Korsah

Kobina Arku Korsah
1st Chief Justice of Ghana
In office
6 March 1957 – December 1963
Preceded by New Position
Succeeded by Julius Sarkodee-Addo
13th Chief Justice of the
Gold Coast
In office
1956 – 6 March 1957
Preceded by Sir Mark Wilson
Succeeded by None
Personal details
Born (1894-04-03)3 April 1894
Saltpond, Ghana
Died 25 January 1967(1967-01-25) (aged 72)
Ghana

Sir Kobina Arku Korsah (3 April 1894, Saltpond – 25 January 1967)[1] was the first black Chief Justice of Ghana (then the Gold Coast) in 1956.[2]

Biography

Born in Saltpond, Korsah was educated at Mfantsipim School, Fourah Bay College (BA degree in 1915),[1] Durham University and London University (LLB in 1919).[1][3]

In 1942, Nana Sir Ofori Atta and Sir Arku Korsah were the first two Ghanaians to be appointed to the Legislative Council by the then Governor of the Gold Coast, Sir Alan Burns.[4][5] Korsah was one of the 20 founding members of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1959.[6] After the Kulungugu attack on President Kwame Nkrumah in August 1962,[7] Sir Arku Korsah presided over the trial of five defendants. At the end of that trial, three of the accused were found not guilty and this displeased the Nkrumah government. Nkrumah sacked Sir Arku as Chief Justice in December 1963 unconstitutionally.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Makers of Modern Africa, London: Africa Journal Ltd, 1981, pp. 289-90.
  2. 1 2 "Outrage At Law". Time Magazine. 20 December 1963. Retrieved 29 March 2007.
  3. ↑ Daniel Miles McFarland, Historical Dictionary of Ghana, Scarecrow Press, 1995, p. 106-07.
  4. ↑ "Countries united by an ancient bond – Freedom after 400 years". Liverpool Daily Post. Retrieved 29 March 2007.
  5. ↑ Buah, F. K. (1980). History of Ghana. London: Lincoln. ISBN 978-0-333-29515-1.
  6. ↑ "History – Foundation Members". Official Website. Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 29 March 2007.
  7. ↑ Justice Sarpong, "Who Actually Tried To Kill Nkrumah At Kulungugu?", GhanaWeb, 26 February 2014.

See also

–
Legal offices
Preceded by
Sir Mark Wilson		 Chief Justice of the Gold Coast
1956–57 		Succeeded by
Gold Coast attains independence
Preceded by
Ghana established		 Chief Justice of Ghana
1957–63 		Succeeded by
Julius Sarkodee-Addo


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