Sir Kobina Arku Korsah (3 April 1894 – 25 January 1967)
[''Makers of Modern Africa'', London: Africa Journal Ltd, 1981, pp. 289-90.] was the first
Chief Justice of Ghana
The Chief Justice of Ghana is the highest-ranking judge of the Supreme Court of Ghana. The chief justice is also the head of the Judiciary of Ghana and is responsible for its administration and supervision. In order of state precedence, the chief ...
(then the
Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
) in 1956.
Biography
Born in Saltpond, Korsah was educated at
Mfantsipim School
Mfantsipim is an all-boys boarding secondary school in Cape Coast, Ghana, established by the Methodist Church in 1876 to foster intellectual, moral, and spiritual growth on the then Gold Coast. Its founding name was Wesleyan High School and ...
,
Fourah Bay College (BA degree in 1915),
Durham University
, mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills (Psalm 87:1)
, established = (university status)
, type = Public
, academic_staff = 1,830 (2020)
, administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19)
, chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen
, vice_chan ...
and
London University
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree- ...
(LLB in 1919).
Korsah won the
Cape Coast
Cape Coast is a city, fishing port, and the capital of Cape Coast Metropolitan District and Central Region of Ghana. It is one of the country's most historic cities, a World Heritage Site, home to the Cape Coast Castle, with the Gulf of Guinea ...
seat in the
1927 Gold Coast general election. He was one of nine Africans to be represented in the Legislative Assembly at the time.
He was re-elected for the same seat in
1931
Events
January
* January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics.
* January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa.
* January 22 – Sir I ...
and
1935
Events
January
* January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude Franco-Italian Agreement of 1935, an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims.
* ...
general elections.
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.
Korsah was one of the 20 founding members of the
Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1959. After the
Kulungugu
Kulungugu is a small town in the Upper East Region of Ghana and a minor entry point at the border of Burkina Faso and the Pusiga District of Ghana.
Kulungugu takes its name from the Bissa Language. The founder of Kulungungu was a Bissa man who ...
attack on President
Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah (born 21 September 190927 April 1972) was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He was the first Prime Minister and President of Ghana, having led the Gold Coast to independence from Britain in 1957. An in ...
in August 1962, 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.
[
]
Family
One of his sons, Roger who was a high court judge in Ghana, moved to Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
where he became a judge on the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe. He died in February 2017.
See also
* Chief Justice of Ghana
The Chief Justice of Ghana is the highest-ranking judge of the Supreme Court of Ghana. The chief justice is also the head of the Judiciary of Ghana and is responsible for its administration and supervision. In order of state precedence, the chief ...
* List of judges of the Supreme Court of Ghana
This is a list of the judges of the Supreme Court of Ghana. The Constitution of Ghana provides for the court to be made up of the Chief Justice of Ghana and not less than nine other Justices of the Supreme Court. It shall be duly constituted by a ...
* Supreme Court of Ghana
The Supreme Court of Ghana is the highest judicial body in Ghana. Ghana's 1992 constitution guarantees the independence and separation of the Judiciary from the Legislative and the Executive arms of government.1992 Constitution Article 125( ...
References
See also
*Supreme Court of Ghana
The Supreme Court of Ghana is the highest judicial body in Ghana. Ghana's 1992 constitution guarantees the independence and separation of the Judiciary from the Legislative and the Executive arms of government.1992 Constitution Article 125( ...
*List of judges of the Supreme Court of Ghana
This is a list of the judges of the Supreme Court of Ghana. The Constitution of Ghana provides for the court to be made up of the Chief Justice of Ghana and not less than nine other Justices of the Supreme Court. It shall be duly constituted by a ...
–
1894 births
1967 deaths
Alumni of the University of London
Fourah Bay College alumni
Ghanaian Freemasons
20th-century Ghanaian judges
Ghanaian MPs 1951–1954
Chief justices of Ghana
Mfantsipim School alumni
People from Central Region (Ghana)
Justices of the Supreme Court of Ghana
Fellows of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences
Ghanaian Methodists
{{Ghana-law-bio-stub
Alumni of Durham University