Jerry John Rawlings was a Ghanaian politician and military officer born on June 22, 1947, in Accra, Ghana and sadly died on November 12, 2020.
Rawlings joined the Ghana Air Force in 1968 and advanced through the ranks to become a flight lieutenant.
Rawlings served as president from 1981 to 2001 after serving as president for a brief spell in 1979.
He oversaw a military coup until 1992, after which he was democratically elected President of Ghana for two terms.
He rose to national and international prominence as a result of his leadership activities during Ghana’s turbulent political history.
Early life and Education
Victoria Agbotui, an Anlo Ewe from Dzelukope, Keta, and James Ramsey John, a British chemist from Castle Douglas in Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland, gave birth to Rawlings on June 22, 1947, in Accra, Ghana, under the name Jerry Rawlings John.
Rawlings attended Teshie’s military academy and Achimota School.
When he attended Achimota College, Rawlings met Nana Konadu Agyeman, whom he later married.
In 1967, Rawlings completed his secondary school at Achimota College. Shortly after, he enlisted in the Ghana Air Force; upon application, the military changed his middle name to Rawlings and his surname to John.
To finish his education, he was transferred to Takoradi in Ghana’s Western Region in March 1968.
He received the prestigious “Speed Bird Trophy” as the best cadet in flying the Su-7 ground attack supersonic jet aircraft because of his skill in aerobatics.
He graduated in January 1969 and was commissioned as a pilot officer.
In April 1978, he was promoted to flight lieutenant.
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Career
After a coup d’état in 1979, Rawlings took over as the country’s president while serving as a flight lieutenant in the Ghana Air Force.
Prior to that, he led an unsuccessful coup attempt against the ruling military government on 15 May 1979, just five weeks before scheduled democratic elections were due to take place.
After handing power over to a civilian government, he took back control of the country on 31 December 1981 as the chairman of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC).
Rawlings founded the National Democratic Congress (NDC) after leaving the military in 1992, and he later became the Fourth Republic’s first president.
In 1996, he was elected to a second term of four years. In 2000, Rawlings endorsed John Atta Mills for president after serving the maximum of two terms in office permitted by the Ghanaian Constitution.
Rawlings served as the African Union envoy to Somalia. He passed away in November 2020 at the age of 73 following a brief illness and received a state funeral.
Personal Life
They had one son, Kimathi Rawlings, and three daughters, Zanetor Rawlings, Yaa Asantewaa Rawlings, and Amina Rawlings.
Junior Agogo was Rawlings’ nephew.
Rawlings was well-known in Ghana for his charisma, political skill, and commitment to social justice and development.
During his administration, he instituted a number of economic and social changes, which served to stabilize Ghana’s economy and improve the living standards of many Ghanaians.
Sources: Wikipedia, Britannica, Ghanaweb
