Edmund Bannerman (1832 – 17 April 1903) was a journalist, newspaper proprietor, solicitor and man of public affairs in the British colony of the Gold Coast. He was one of many members of the Bannerman family who flourished in the 19th-century Gold Coast in various public activities.

Biography

Edmund Bannerman was born in about 1832 in

Accra Accra (; or ''Gaga''; ; Ewe: Gɛ; ) is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , had a population of ...

, Gold Coast, the third son of James Bannerman and Yaa Hom, daughter of the

Asantehene The is the title for the monarch of the historical Ashanti Empire as well as the ceremonial ruler of the Ashanti people today. The Ashanti royal house traces its line to the Oyoko (an '' Abusua'', or "clan") Abohyen Dynasty of Nana Twum and ...

(king of Asante)

Osei Yaw Akoto Osei Yaw Akoto ( – 21 February 1834), was the seventh King of the Ashanti Empire reigning from 1824 until his death on 21 February 1834.T. C. McCaskie, ''State and Society in Pre-Colonial Asante'', Cambridge University Press, 2003, p. 69-70 Bi ...

. Bannerman was sent at the age of six to public school in his grandfather's native

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, where his older brothers Charles and James were also being educated. Bannerman returned from Britain in 1847 and served for about nine years as secretary to several Gold Coast governors. He was known as the "Boss of Tarkwa", or "B of T", after his imposing residence, Tarqua(h) (Tarkwa) House, in Jamestown, Accra, and "he became popular with the

Ga people The Ga-Dangbe, Ga-Dangme, Ga-Adangme or Ga-Adangbe are an ethnic group in Ghana, Togo and Benin. The Ga or Gan and Dangbe or Dangme people are grouped as part of the Ga–Dangme ethnolinguistic group. The Ga-Dangmes are one ethnic group that li ...

for his agitation against policies of the colonial regime."De-Valera NYM Botchway, ''Boxing is no Cakewalk!: Azumah 'Ring Professor' Nelson in the Social History of Ghanaian Boxing'', African Humanities Program, 2019, p. 78, note 17. In March 1858, Bannerman was appointed as Civil Commandant of

Keta Keta is a coastal town and the capital of the Keta Municipal District in the Volta Region of Ghana. Keta was an important trading post between the 14th and the late 20th centuries. The town attracted the interest of the Danish, because they fe ...

by the

Secretary of State for the Colonies The secretary of state for the colonies or colonial secretary was the Cabinet of the United Kingdom's government minister, minister in charge of managing certain parts of the British Empire. The colonial secretary never had responsibility for t ...

, and was made a Justice of the Peace. In 1860, he was transferred to

Winneba Winneba is a town and the capital of Effutu Municipal District in Central Region of South Ghana. Winneba has a population of . Winneba, traditionally known as ''Simpa'', is a historic fishing port in south Ghana, lying on the south coast, ...

in a similar capacity. In 1864, after leaving government service, he was admitted to practise as advocate and attorney in the Courts of the Settlements. In 1877, he practised as a solicitor and in 1879 was made a

Commissioner of Oaths A notary public ( notary or public notary; notaries public) of the common law is a public officer constituted by law to serve the public in non-contentious matters usually concerned with general financial transactions, estates, deeds, powers- ...

."Edmund Bannerman (Born 1832–Died 1903) - As a man of wit", in Magnus J. Sampson, ''Gold Coast Men of Affairs (Past and Present)'', with an Introduction by

J. B. Danquah Joseph Kwame Kyeretwie Boakye Danquah (18 December 1895 – 4 February 1965) was a Ghanaian politician, scholar, anglophile, lawyer and statesman. He was a politician in pre and post-colonial Ghana, which was formerly the Gold Coast. Durin ...

, London: Dawsons of Pall Mall, 1937; 1969 reprint, pp. 86–89. After the death of his brother Charles, he succeeded him as the proprietor and editor of the ''West African Herald''. Bannerman was also a special correspondent to the ''West African Times''. Bannerman died at the age of 71, on 17 April 1903, at his residence in Jamestown, Accra.

References

External links

"The Bannerman Political Family and the Imperial Franchise (1850-63)"
''Joy Online'', 4 March 2019. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bannerman, Edmund 1830s births 1903 deaths 19th-century journalists Journalists from Gold Coast (British colony) Gold Coast (British colony) judges Justices of the peace 19th-century newspaper publishers (people) People from Accra

Biography

See also

References

External links