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| J.J. Rawlings of Ghana in his final role as elder statesman. |
Jerry John Rawlings was a Ghanaian military officer, aviator and politician who led the country for a brief period in 1979, and then from 1981 to 2001. He led a military junta until 1992, and then served two terms as the democratically elected president of Ghana. His second period of rule (1981–2001) afforded Ghana political stability and competent economic management.
Rawlings was born as Jerry Rawlings John on June 22, 1947, in Accra, Ghana. He attended Achimota School and a military academy at Teshie. Rawlings was married to Nana Konadu Agyeman, whom he met while at Achimota College. They had three daughters: Zanetor Rawlings, Yaa Asantewaa Rawlings, Amina Rawlings; and one son, Kimathi Rawlings.
Rawlings died in 2020 at age 73 and was accorded a state funeral.
