Danquah, Joseph Kwame Kyeretwi Boakye (1895-1965)

Ghanaian nationalist leader and leader of the opposition after independence. An outstanding scholar, he gained degrees in philosophy and law from English universities. Returning to Ghana in 1931 he founded the West African Times and became involved in nationalist politics. In 1947 he founded the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), the major party until Kwame Nkrumah broke away from the UGCC to found the Convention People's Party in 1949. Following his election to parliament in 1951 he became a major opposition leader. He was opposition candidate in the 1960 elections but lost to Nkrumah. In 1961 he was detained for a year without charge. He was re-arrested in 1964 and died in prison in 1965.

Danquah was a member of the royal family of Akyem Abuakwa.