Nathaniel Azarco Welbeck (1915–1972) was a

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

ian politician and a diplomat. He was a member of the

Convention People's Party The Convention People's Party (CPP) is a socialist political party in Ghana based on the ideas of the first President of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah. The CPP was formed in June 1949 after Nkrumah broke away from the United Gold Coast Convention (UGC ...

and minister of state in the first republic. He was briefly resident minister of Ghana in

Guinea Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...

and also resident minister of Ghana in the

Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville) The Republic of the Congo () was the period of the history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 1960 and 1971. Located in Central Africa, the state was created with the independence of the Belgian Congo in 1960. From 1960 to 1966, ...

Early life and education

Welbeck was born at

Cape Coast Cape Coast is a city and the capital of the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly, Cape Coast Metropolitan District and the Central Region (Ghana), Central Region of Ghana, Ghana. It is located about from Sekondi-Takoradi and approximately from Ac ...

on 25 September 1915 to Madam Adwoa Twi and Nomo Welbeck who migrated to

Abidjan Abidjan ( , ; N'Ko script, N'ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the largest city and the former capital of Ivory Coast. As of the Demographics of Ivory Coast, 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of the overall population ...

Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest city and ...

. His father was of Ewe and Ga descent and his mother was

Fanti Fanti is an Italian surname. Notable people with this name include: * Bartolomeo Fanti (1428–1495), beatified Italian Carmelite priest * Fausto Fanti (1978–2014), Brazilian actor, comedian and musician * Franco Fanti (1924–2007), Italian Olymp ...

, Welbeck identified as a

, a Ga and also an Ewe however, due to Akan (of which Fantis constitute) customs and tradition which places more emphasis on one's maternal background, Welbeck was a Fanti from

. His father died in a house fire at

where the family resided. Welbeck was sleeping in the same room with his father. His grandmother first saw the fire and blew the alarm. His father on hearing the alarm, picked him up and took him to a safe place. He then went back to the flaming house to rescue another child by throwing it out of the window into safety but he was overcome by the flames and could not find the door to get out of the burning house. Welbeck was too young to know his father. His mother was a bead trader. She decided to stay after her husband's death, she had established herself as a successful bead trader in

. Welbeck had his early education at a school in

. The French language being the medium of communication in schools in the area, Welbeck became well versed in the French language. Welbeck's mother decided to send Welbeck to his native Gold Coast to stay with his paternal uncle; Mr. Joseph Mensah Attabrah. He lived with his family in Swedru where he continued schooling, this time in the English Language. He sat for his standard seven school leaving certificate in 1932 and entered Wesley College in 1933 to train as a teacher.

Career and politics

He qualified as a teacher in 1936. He taught in many institutions, the last school he was posted to before he brought his teaching career to a close was Takoradi Methodist School. He entered politics before quitting the teaching profession. He had joined the newly formed

United Gold Coast Convention The United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) was an early nationalist movement British colony of the Gold Coast (present-day Ghana) that sought independence after the Second World War. It was founded in August 1947 with the aim of self-government "i ...

(UGCC); a political party that had begun as a movement to usher the Gold Coast into political independence. In 1949 he was appointed the secretary to the Local Education Committee. That same year, he decided to quit teaching completely to focus on politics.

Kwame Nkrumah Francis Kwame Nkrumah (, 21 September 1909 – 27 April 1972) was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He served as Prime Minister of the Gold Coast (British colony), Gold Coast from 1952 until 1957, when it gained ...

left the UGCC to form the Convention People's Party(CPP) on 12 June 1949 and Welbeck joined the party that same day as one of its founding members. A year later, he was arrested during an unrest which followed Nkrumah's declaration of "Positive Action Without Violence." He was tried and charged with sedition leading to his 12-month incarceration. This propelled his political career as he was viewed as a hero after his release. In 1951 he was appointed the national propaganda secretary for the CPP. After the death of Kwesi Plange in 1953 he was selected by his party the CPP to stand elections in his home town

as a municipal member of the legislative assembly. He contested for the Cape Coast seat with Amponsah Dadzie of the United Party. Welbeck won the election but the results were contested by his opponent; Amponsah Dadzie. The general elections for Cape Coast was rescheduled for 1954 and this time Welbeck was elected and he kept the seat without any court proceedings. That same year he was appointed minister for works. He was elected in office in 1956 and in 1958 he was appointed a resident minister to Guinea. In 1960 he was retained in parliament and appointed minister of state for Defence. That same year he was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary and Ambassador Extraordinary posted to Congo as resident minister representing Ghana. He was returned to Ghana in November 1960 after his residence was besieged by the Congo military for allegedly plotting with the then deposed

Patrice Lumumba Patrice Émery Lumumba ( ; born Isaïe Tasumbu Tawosa; 2 July 192517 January 1961) was a Congolese politician and independence leader who served as the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then known as the Republic o ...

against Mobutu's regime. In September 1962, he became acting executive secretary of the CPP due to Hugh Horatio Coffie Crabbe's detention. He was appointed Executive Secretary of the party in 1963 while Nkrumah was the general secretary. In 1965 Welbeck was appointed Minister of information (a non cabinet post) and party propaganda secretary.

Personal life

He was the great grandson of

Philip Quaque Philip Quaicoe (1741 – 17 October 1816) was the first African to be ordained as a minister by the Church of England. Biography Born in Cape Coast then known as (Gold Coast) and named Kweku, he was said to be the son of Birempong Cudjo, a c ...

. He first married Ms. Sarah Andrews and they had a daughter together. The marriage lasted from 1942 to 1950. He married Ms. Esther Quarm in 1954. Welbeck's hobbies included lawn tennis and stamps collection.

Death

Welbeck died in 1972 after a protracted illness.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Welbeck, N Convention People's Party (Ghana) politicians 1915 births 1972 deaths Ghanaian MPs 1954–1956 Ghanaian MPs 1956–1965 People from Cape Coast Politicians from Central Region (Ghana) Ambassadors of Ghana to the Republic of the Congo Ambassadors of Ghana to Guinea United Gold Coast Convention politicians People from Abidjan Ghanaian independence activists