Nicolas Grunitzky
Encyclopedia
Nicolas Grunitzky was the third president of Togo
. He was President from 1963 to 1967.
to a German
father (of Polish
origin) and a Togolese mother. He studied civil engineering
at the ESTP
in Paris
and was a public administrator before leaving to form his own company. He was the secretary-general of the Parti togolais du progrès (Togolese Party of Progress) and elected into office with the Togolose Parliament in 1951.Grunitzky also served in the French national assembly
1951-1958. He was Prime Minister of the Republic of Togo from September 12, 1956 but went into exile after being deposed on May 16, 1958.
Grunitzky was appointed president by the "Insurrection Committee" headed by Emmanuel Bodjollé
following a coup d'état
that ended with the assassination of president (and Grunitzky's brother-in-law) Sylvanus Olympio
. This was the first military coup in Western Africa following independence, and was organized by a group of soldiers under the direction of Sergeant Étienne Gnassingbé Eyadema
. Nicolas Grunitzky attempted to unify the country by including several political parties in his government. However, he was toppled in a bloodless military coup led by now-Lt. Col Étienne Gnassingbé Eyadema and was exiled to Paris
.
He was injured in a car accident
in Côte d'Ivoire, and died from complications in a hospital in Paris in 1969.
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
. He was President from 1963 to 1967.
Biography
He was born in AtakpaméAtakpamé
Founded by the Yoruba people, Atakpamé, the fifth largest city in Togo by population , is a city in the Plateaux Region of Togo. It is an industrial centre and lies on the main north-south highway, 161 km north of the capital Lomé...
to a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
father (of Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
origin) and a Togolese mother. He studied civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
at the ESTP
ESTP
ESTP is an abbreviation used in the publications of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to refer to one of sixteen personality types. The MBTI assessment was developed from the work of prominent psychiatrist Carl G. Jung in his book Psychological Types...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and was a public administrator before leaving to form his own company. He was the secretary-general of the Parti togolais du progrès (Togolese Party of Progress) and elected into office with the Togolose Parliament in 1951.Grunitzky also served in the French national assembly
French National Assembly
The French National Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of France under the Fifth Republic. The upper house is the Senate ....
1951-1958. He was Prime Minister of the Republic of Togo from September 12, 1956 but went into exile after being deposed on May 16, 1958.
Grunitzky was appointed president by the "Insurrection Committee" headed by Emmanuel Bodjollé
Emmanuel Bodjollé
Emmanuel Bodjollé was Chairman of the nine-member Insurrection Committee that overthrew the government of former Togolese President Sylvanus Olympio on 13 January 1963....
following a coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
that ended with the assassination of president (and Grunitzky's brother-in-law) Sylvanus Olympio
Sylvanus Olympio
Sylvanus Epiphanio Olympio was a Togolese political figure who served as Prime Minister, and then President, of Togo from 1958 until his assassination in 1963.-Political career:...
. This was the first military coup in Western Africa following independence, and was organized by a group of soldiers under the direction of Sergeant Étienne Gnassingbé Eyadema
Gnassingbé Eyadéma
General Gnassingbé Eyadéma , was the President of Togo from 1967 until his death in 2005. He participated in two successful military coups, in January 1963 and January 1967, and became President on April 14, 1967...
. Nicolas Grunitzky attempted to unify the country by including several political parties in his government. However, he was toppled in a bloodless military coup led by now-Lt. Col Étienne Gnassingbé Eyadema and was exiled to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
He was injured in a car accident
Car accident
A traffic collision, also known as a traffic accident, motor vehicle collision, motor vehicle accident, car accident, automobile accident, Road Traffic Collision or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other stationary obstruction,...
in Côte d'Ivoire, and died from complications in a hospital in Paris in 1969.