Augustus Molade Akiwumi (7 April 1891 – 1985) was a barrister and judge who became the second

Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana The Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana is the presiding officer of the Parliament of Ghana. The current speaker is Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin. He was elected on 7 January 2021. History The first speaker of the Parliament of Ghana was Sir ...

from 1958 and 1960 and an inaugural 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( ...

between 1960 and 1961.

Early life

Augustus Akiwumi was born in

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...

, Nigeria to a large

Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

family of twelve children. He became a naturalised

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 Tog ...

ian, after he relocated to the Gold Coast as a child with his father, S. O. Akiwumi. S. O. Akiwumi was the vice president of the Red Cross League. In 1910, Augustus Akiwumi was sent to live with guardians, a Smith family of

Crosby, Cumbria Crosby is a small village in the Allerdale district of the English county of Cumbria, historically within Cumberland, near the Lake District National Park. It is north-east of Maryport + south-west of Carlisle, on the A596 road. In 2020 the ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. He attended

Queen's College, Taunton Queen's College is a co-educational independent school located in Taunton, the county town of Somerset, England. It is a day/boarding school for children aged 0–18. The school incorporates nursery, pre-prep, Prep, and senior schools. The curre ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lor ...

. Seven of his other siblings also attended boarding school in England. He proceeded to

Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge Fitzwilliam College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , establish ...

, where he studied law. He also trained as a

banker A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Becaus ...

at the

Midland Bank Midland Bank Plc was one of the Big Four banking groups in the United Kingdom for most of the 20th century. It is now part of HSBC. The bank was founded as the Birmingham and Midland Bank in Union Street, Birmingham, England in August 1836. It ...

Ludgate Hill Ludgate Hill is a street and surrounding area, on a small hill in the City of London. The street passes through the former site of Ludgate, a city gate that was demolished – along with a gaol attached to it – in 1760. The area include ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, prior to his return to Ghana.

Career

He was called to the bar at the Honourable Society of

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincol ...

in 1921. In 1964, while he was a High Court Judge in Ghana, he was appointed Legal Secretary in the East African Common Service Organisation. He was elected Speaker of the Parliament in February 1958 in the

Dominion of Ghana Ghana was the first African country colonised by European powers to achieve independence under majority rule. During the first three years after independence, from 1957 to 1960, a Westminster system of government was in place and the British mo ...

. He became a judge in Ghana and was later appointed a

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 ...

from July 1960 until his retirement from the bench in April 1961.

Family

Akiwumi married Grace Aryee and, subsequently, Helen Kabuki Ocansey, both Ghanaians.

Notes

External links

Picture on cover of "Life" magazine of January 18, 1960
1891 births Alumni of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge Convention People's Party (Ghana) politicians Ghanaian Christian Scientists 20th-century Ghanaian judges Speakers of the Parliament of Ghana Members of Lincoln's Inn People educated at Queen's College, Taunton Lawyers from Lagos Nigerian emigrants to Ghana Naturalized citizens of Ghana Justices of the Supreme Court of Ghana Year of death missing Yoruba legal professionals Yoruba bankers {{Ghana-politician-stub

Early life

Career

Family

See also

Notes

External links