Robert Samuel Blay, was a Ghanaian barrister and judge. He was a Justice of the
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( ...
during the First Republic. He is often referred to as the first
Nzema lawyer.
He was president of the
Ghana Bar Association
The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) is a professional association of lawyers in Ghana, including what used to be called solicitors and barristers but are now called legal practitioners, as well as magistrates.
By convention all lawyers admitted to pr ...
on two occasions and also a member of the first board of directors of the
Bank of Ghana
The Bank of Ghana ( BoG) is the central bank of Ghana. It is located in Accra and was formed in 1957. The bank is active in developing financial inclusion policy and is a member of thAlliance for Financial Inclusion
History
The Central Ban ...
.
Early life and education
Robert was born in April 1901 at Esiama in the
Western Region of
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
. He had his early education at the Tarkwa Methodist School in
Tarkwa
Tarkwa is a town and is the capital of Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal district, a district in the Western Region southwest of South Ghana. Tarkwa has a 2013 settlement population of 34,941 people.
Economy
Mining
Tarkwa is noted as a centre of gold m ...
. He entered the Government Training Institution (was later merged with
Achimota College
Achimota School ( /ɑːtʃimoʊtɑː/ ), formerly Prince of Wales College and School at Achimota, later Achimota College, now nicknamed Motown, is a co-educational boarding school located at Achimota in Accra, Greater Accra, Ghana. The schoo ...
) to train as a teacher. In 1920 he left for the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
to study law. He was called to the bar in June, 1926. As a student at the
University of London
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 ...
Robert was actively involved in student politics. He occupied positions in various student groups. He was once president of the Union of Students of African Descent, a group that accepted nationals from the Caribbean and African colonies. He also served as an executive member of the
. While in London he brought up the idea of the formation of the then Gold Coast Students Union.
Career and politics
Robert taught for about three years at Tarkwa Methodist School after his teacher training. Upon his return to Ghana in 1926, Robert joined the
Aborigines Rights Protection Society. He later became a founding member and the first Vice-Chairman of the
United Gold Coast Convention
The United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) was a political party founded in 1947 whose aim was to bring about Ghanaian independence from their British colonial masters after the Second World War. The United Gold Coast Convention appointed its leade ...
, he was the third founding member.
In 1958 he together with three Ghanaians and three
Britons
British people or Britons, also known colloquially as Brits, are the citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the British Overseas Territories, and the Crown dependencies.: British nationality law governs mo ...
were appointed by the then prime minister; Dr.
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 ...
to constitute the first board of the
Bank of Ghana
The Bank of Ghana ( BoG) is the central bank of Ghana. It is located in Accra and was formed in 1957. The bank is active in developing financial inclusion policy and is a member of thAlliance for Financial Inclusion
History
The Central Ban ...
. He represented Sekondi at the legislative council as its municipal member.
Aside politics and civil service, Robert was a known legal practitioner in
Sekondi
Sekondi-Takoradi is a city in Ghana comprising the twin cities of Sekondi and Takoradi. It is the capital of Sekondi – Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly and the Western Region of Ghana. Sekondi-Takoradi is the region's largest city and an indus ...
. He founded the Nzema Chambers in 1926 (which later became known as Blay and Associates). He was president of the
Ghana Bar Association
The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) is a professional association of lawyers in Ghana, including what used to be called solicitors and barristers but are now called legal practitioners, as well as magistrates.
By convention all lawyers admitted to pr ...
on two occasions. He became the first president of the
Ghana Bar Association
The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) is a professional association of lawyers in Ghana, including what used to be called solicitors and barristers but are now called legal practitioners, as well as magistrates.
By convention all lawyers admitted to pr ...
when he was appointed the association's president in 1957. He served as president of the association until 1959. He was succeeded by
Archie Casely-Hayford
Archibald "Archie" Casely-Hayford (1898 – 20 August 1977) was a British-trained Ghanaian barrister and politician, who was involved in nationalist politics in the former Gold Coast (present-day Ghana). Having joined the Convention People's Par ...
. In 1960 he took office as the association's president once more, he served in that position until 1962. His fame in private practice led to his appointment as
Supreme Court Judge
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
by the then 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 1962. He was dismissed together with
Kofi Adumua Bossman
Kofi Adumua Bossman (27 March 1907 – 1967) was a Ghanaian barrister, a jurist and a politician. He was a prominent legal practitioner based in Accra in the 1940s and 1950s prior to being called to the bench. He was a Supreme Court Judge durin ...
and
Edward Akufo-Addo
Edward Akufo-Addo (26 June 1906 – 17 July 1979) was a Ghanaian politician and lawyer. He was a member of the " Big Six" leaders of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) and one of the founding fathers of Ghana who engaged in the fight for ...
on 2 March 1964 by the then president of Ghana; Kwame Nkrumah for protesting the dismissal of Sir.
Kobina Arku Korsah
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 (then the Gold Coast) in 1956.
Biography
Born in Saltpond, Korsah was ed ...
and
William Bedford Van Lare
William Bedford Van Lare CMG (1904-1969) was a Ghanaian jurist and diplomat; he was justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana in the first republic and Ghana's High Commissioner to Canada in the NLC regime.
Early life and education
William was bor ...
following the acquittal of
Tawia Adamafio
Tawia Adamafio (born Joseph Tawia Adams) was a Ghanaian minister in the Nkrumah government during the first republic of Ghana.
Politics
Adamafio was a member of the Convention People's Party and rose to become its General Secretary. In 1960, he ...
and others of treason charges. In 1969, he was a speaker of the constituent assembly, which drew the constitution of the second republic. Following the outcome of the
1978 Ghanaian governmental referendum
A referendum on the system of government was held in Ghana on 30 March 1978.
Background
In December 1971 the government of Kofi Abrefa Busia drastically devalued the Ghanaian cedi, cedi. However, the authorities' inability to control the subseq ...
he risked detention that year by filing ''writs of habeas corpus'' at the
Sekondi
Sekondi-Takoradi is a city in Ghana comprising the twin cities of Sekondi and Takoradi. It is the capital of Sekondi – Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly and the Western Region of Ghana. Sekondi-Takoradi is the region's largest city and an indus ...
High Court, that is; he demanded that the
Supreme Military Council bring
B. J. Da Rocha
Bernard Joao da Rocha (16 May 1927 – 23 February 2010) was a founding member and the first National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party. He was also the first Ghanaian Director of the Ghana School of Law.
Education
B. J. Da Rocha was born in Ca ...
and
K. A. Gbedemah to court and show valid reasons for their detention.
Personal life
He was married to Mrs. Dinah Blay. He was the father of the Ghanaian international civil servant, diplomat and the first female chancellor of the
University of Ghana
The University of Ghana is a public university located in Accra, Ghana. It the oldest and largest of the thirteen Ghanaian national public universities.
The university was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast in the Br ...
,
Mary Chinery-Hesse
Mary Chinery-Hesse, , née Blay (born 29 October 1938) is an international civil servant and diplomat serving as the first woman Chancellor of the University of Ghana, inducted on 1 August 2018. She was the first female Deputy Director-General of ...
,
and Dr. Mokowa Blay Adu-Gyamfi, former High Commissioner of Ghana to
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...
and currently Director General of Ghana Aids Commission. His hobbies were lawn tennis, cricket, golf and football.
Death
He died on 5 December 1979 at
Sekondi
Sekondi-Takoradi is a city in Ghana comprising the twin cities of Sekondi and Takoradi. It is the capital of Sekondi – Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly and the Western Region of Ghana. Sekondi-Takoradi is the region's largest city and an indus ...
. He was buried at his hometown; Esiama on 22 December 1979.
See also
*
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
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blay, Robert Samuel
1901 births
1979 deaths
Akan people
20th-century Ghanaian judges
Justices of the Supreme Court of Ghana
Alumni of the University of London
Ghanaian Methodists