Félix Houphouët-Boigny

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Prime Minister of Côte d'Ivoire
Félix Houphouët-Boigny

1st President of Côte d'Ivoire
In office November 3, 1960 – December 7, 1993
Preceded by	None (position first established)
Succeeded by	Henri Konan Bédié
In office 7 August 1960 – 27 November 1960
Preceded by	None (position first established)
Succeeded by	None (position abolished)

Born	October 18, 1905 Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire
Died	December 7, 1993 Côte d'Ivoire
Political party	Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire
Spouse	Marie-Thérèse Houphouët-Boigny
Religion	Roman Catholic

Félix Houphouët-Boigny (IPA: /fe.ˈli(k)s u.ˈfweɪ ˈbwa.ɲi/) (October 18, 1905 - December 7, 1993) was the first President of Côte d'Ivoire (1960 - 1993) and was previously appointed minister in the government of France several times between 1957 and 1961. His name is African spelled with French orthography; using an English-based one, as in Ghana or Nigeria, it would likely be spelled Ufwe-Bwanyi.

Under Houphouët-Boigny's ideologically moderate leadership, Côte d'Ivoire prospered economically due to a combination of sound planning, strong and moderate leadership, the maintenance of strong ties with the West [1] (particularly France [2]), and the development of the country's significant cocoa industry. Houphouët-Boigny moved the country's capital from Abidjan to his hometown of Yamoussoukro, and built Africa's largest church there, the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro at a cost of $300 million. He also built a presidential palace at great cost. He maintained an ardently anticommunist foreign policy, which included severing diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union in 1969 (after first establishing relations in 1967) and refusing to recognize China until 1983. He considered the two major communist powers a malevolent influence in the Third World, frequently denouncing their actions, especially China's. He was one of the last African leaders to recognize China. Relations with the Soviet Union were not renewed until February 1986.[3]

Houphouët-Boigny was commonly known in the West as the "Sage of Africa" or the "Grand Old Man of Africa." In 1989, UNESCO created the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize for the "safeguarding, maintaining and seeking of peace." It should be noted, however, that he is believed to have diverted significant funds for his personal use and for patronage.

After his death, conditions in Côte d'Ivoire deteriorated quickly. From 1994 until 2002, there were a number of coups, a currency devaluation, an economic recession, and beginning in 2002, the Civil war in Côte d'Ivoire.

[edit] Chronology

Houphouët-Boigny was born in Yamoussoukro in 1905, descended from wealthy Baoule chieftains, who possessed large cocoa and coffee plantations. He practiced medicine from 1925 to 1940, and then entered government service. He was elected chairman of the African Democratic Rally in 1946. From 1956-1957, he was minister delegate, involved in forming French colonial policy. He rose to prominence during the colonial period, when he founded the multinational party Rassemblement Démocratique Africain, which advocated independence for European colonies in Africa.

In 1960, Côte d'Ivoire achieved independence, and Houphouët-Boigny was president of the constituent assembly. In 1959, he became prime minister of the colonial government, and became president of the republic in 1960.

From 1960 to 1990, he was repeatedly elected president of Côte d'Ivoire for five year terms; however, no opposition parties were legal. During this period, Côte d'Ivoire grew to be the most stable and prosperous country in West Africa, growth that was attributed to Houphouët-Boigny's strong and politically moderate leadership, and the maintenance of strong ties to France and South Africa. The reality was somewhat different. After cocoa and coffee prices collapsed at the end of 1978, the Ivorian economy began a slide that was made much worse by the mismanagement of state-controlled industries that Houphouët-Boigny had established.^{[citation needed]}

In 1990, he was elected to his seventh five-year term and, for the first time, with the participation of legal opposition parties. He won with 89% of the vote. At that time, the Ivorian economy had already begun a disastrous slide that would lead the country to declare insolvency in 1997. After that time, he grew increasingly feeble, and died in 1993 after a lengthy illness.

Félix Houphouët-Boigny divorced from his first wife to marry the much younger Marie-Therese Houphouet-Boigny, then dubbed "Africa's Jackie" after the couple visited the Kennedy White House in 1962.^[1] Félix and Marie-Thérèse had three children together.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

Meredith, Martin (2005). The Fate of Africa: From the Hopes of Freedom to the Heart of Despair, a History of Fifty Years of Independence. New York: Public Affairs.

^ "Reigning Beauties," Time, June 8, 1962.

Preceded by (–)	Prime Minister of Côte d'Ivoire 1960	Succeeded by Post Abolished
Preceded by (–)	President of Côte d'Ivoire 1960-1993	Succeeded by Henri Konan Bédié