Kobina Arku Korsah
Sir Kobina Arku Korsah JSC (3 April 1894 – 25 January 1967)[1] was the first Chief Justice of Ghana (then the Gold Coast) in 1956.[2]
Sir 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 | Himself as the 1st Chief Justice of Ghana |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 April 1894 Saltpond, Gold Coast (British colony) |
| Died | 25 January 1967 (aged 72) Ghana |
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]
Korsah won the Cape Coast seat in the 1927 Gold Coast general election. He was one of nine Africans to be represented in the Legislative Assembly at the time.[4] He was re-elected for the same seat in 1931 and 1935 general elections.[5]
In 1942, Nana Sir Ofori Atta and Sir Arku Korsah were the first two Ghanaians to be appointed to the Executive Council of the Legislative Council by the then Governor of the Gold Coast, Sir Alan Burns.[6][7][8]
Korsah was one of the 20 founding members of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1959.[9]
After the Kulungugu attack on President Kwame Nkrumah in August 1962,[10] 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]
Family
One of his sons, Roger who was a high court judge in Ghana, moved to Zimbabwe where he became a judge on the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe. He died in February 2017.[11]
References
- Makers of Modern Africa, London: Africa Journal Ltd, 1981, pp. 289-90.
- "Outrage at Law". Time Magazine. 20 December 1963. Archived from the original on 22 December 2008. Retrieved 29 March 2007.
- Daniel Miles McFarland, Historical Dictionary of Ghana, Scarecrow Press, 1995, pp. 106–07.
- Edsman, Björn M. (1979). Lawyers in Gold Coast politics c. 1900-1945 : from Mensah Sarbah to J.B. Danquah (First ed.). Uppsala: Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis. p. 132. ISBN 978-9155409609.
- Ghana Year Book. 1964. p. 54.
- Owusu-Ansah, David (2014). Historical dictionary of Ghana (Fourth ed.). Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield. p. xlix. ISBN 978-0-8108-7242-4.
- "Countries united by an ancient bond – Freedom after 400 years". Liverpool Daily Post. Retrieved 29 March 2007.
- Buah, F. K. (1980). History of Ghana. London: Lincoln. ISBN 978-0-333-29515-1.
- "History – Foundation Members". Official Website. Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 29 March 2007.
- Justice Sarpong, "Who Actually Tried To Kill Nkrumah At Kulungugu?", GhanaWeb, 26 February 2014.
- "Retired Judge Korsah dies". Newsday.co.zw. News Day. 18 February 2017. Retrieved 30 November 2019.