John Karefa-Smart
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| Dr. John Karefa Smart | |
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| In office April 27, 1961 – April 28, 1964 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Preceded by | none |
| Succeeded by | Cyril B. Rogers-Wright |
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| Born | 1915 Rotifunk, Moyamba, Sierra Leone |
| Nationality | Sierra Leonean |
| Political party | Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) |
| Religion | Christianity (Methodist) |
Dr. John Albert Musselman Karefa-Smart (born 1915 in Rotifunk, Moyamba District, Sierra Leone) is a politician from Sierra Leone and the current leader of the United National People's Party. He is an ordained Elder [1] of the United Methodist Church and one of Sierra Leone's foremost scholars.
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[edit] Education
An ethnic Sherbro, John-Karefa-Smart was educated at the E.U.B. Primary School, in Rotifunk, Moyamba District and the Albert Academy in Freetown. He received his B.A. from Fourah Bay College in Freetown in 1936. Four years later in 1940, he received his B.S. from Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio in 1940. From Otterbein, he went to McGill University in Montreal, where he received his M.D. and C.M. in 1944 and Diploma in Tropical Medicine in 1945. Finally, in 1948, he received his M.P.H. from Harvard University in Boston. Karefa-Smart has also been a fellow or professor at many colleges and universities across the world, including Bunumbu Union Teachers Training College in Sierra Leone (1936-38), University of Ibadan in Nigeria (1949-52), and several American universities such as Xavier University of Louisiana (1953), Columbia University (1964-65), Harvard University (1971-81), Boston University(1972-77), Wellesley College (1974), and Howard University (1980-83).
[edit] Political career
Karefa-Smart's political career began with his election to Parliament in 1957. From 1957 to 1964, Karefa-Smart was a Member of Parliament for Tonkolili District. He also served as Minister of Lands, Mines, & Labor; Defense; and as foreign minister (1961-1964). During that time period, he also served occasionally as acting Prime Minister. From 1965 until 1970, he was Assistant Director-General of the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. In 1996, he returned to Sierra Leonean politics as a member of parliament and presidential candidate. Karefa-Smart lost the 1996 and 2002 presidential elections to current President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah.
[edit] Status as Leader of the UNPP
It was initially reported on June 12, 2006 that Karefa-Smart had been replaced as leader of the UNPP at a party convention; however, Karefa-Smart subsequently refuted this claim and called the convention null and void. [2]
[edit] External links
- SierraLeone.org biography
- "Sierra Leonean Heroes Fifty Great Men and Women Who Helped to Build Our Nation"
- AllAfrica.com article on Karefa-Smart alleged retirement
- Awareness Times article refuting alleged retirement
| Preceded by none |
Foreign Minister of Sierra Leone 1961-1964 |
Succeeded by Cyril B. Rogers Wright |
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