Kléber Dadjo (12 August 1914 – 23 September 1988 or 23 September 1989) was a Togolese politician and military officer who served as Interim President of
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to Ghana–Togo border, the west, Benin to Benin–Togo border, the east and Burkina Faso to Burkina Faso–Togo border, the north. It is one of the le ...
in his role as Chairman of the National Reconciliation Committee from 14 January 1967 to 14 April 1967 following the overthrow of
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
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Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
Nicolas Grunitzky's government.
Biography
Kléber Dadjo was born in
Siou on 12 August 1914. He was of the
Nawde (or Losso) ethnic and linguistic group.
Dadjo served in the
British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and in the
French Army
The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...
in the
Indochina
Mainland Southeast Asia (historically known as Indochina and the Indochinese Peninsula) is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to th ...
and
Algerian conflicts. At the time of Togo's independence in 1960, he was the longest-serving and highest-
ranking
A ranking is a relationship between a set of items, often recorded in a list, such that, for any two items, the first is either "ranked higher than", "ranked lower than", or "ranked equal to" the second. In mathematics, this is known as a weak ...
Togolese in the French Army. He held the rank of Captain and commanded Togo's tiny defence force, the ''Garde Togolaise''. He was promoted to Major and eventually to Colonel after the 1963 ''coup d'état'' and served as head of the military cabinet of President
Nicolas Grunitzky.
After the second military
coup d'état
A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup
, is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...
on 13 January 1967, Dadjo was named interim President of Togo (as Chairman of the ''Comité National de Reconciliation''), a position that he held until 14 April 1967, when Lt. Col. Gnassingbé
Etienne Eyadéma was named president. From 1967 to 1968 he served as
Minister of Justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
and as ''Chef du Cabinet Militaire de la Présidence de la République''.
In 1968, Dadjo retired and returned to his home in Siou where he became ''Chef de Canton''.
Dadjo died on 23 September 1988 or 23 September 1989.
In 2006, Dadjo was recognised by the government of President
along with former presidents
Sylvanus Olympio and Nicolas Grunitzky and former
Vice President
A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
Antoine Méatchi as part of a decision to rehabilitate the image of Togo's previous leaders. The former ''avenue de la Nouvelle Marche'' in
Lomé
Lomé ( , ) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities in Togo, largest city of Togo. It has an urban population of 837,437 was renamed ''avenue Kléber Dadjo'' in his honor.
Dadjo is frequently and erroneously identified in print as a
Kabyé rather than a Nawde (or Losso).
[Sources include: Decalo, Samuel, ''Historical Dictionary of Togo, Third Edition'', Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 1996, pp. 106–107.]
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dadjo, Kleber
British Army personnel of World War II
French military personnel of the First Indochina War
French military personnel of the Algerian War
Presidents of Togo
Defence ministers of Togo
Justice ministers of Togo
Togolese military personnel
1914 births
1980s deaths
People from Kara Region
20th-century Togolese politicians