Nicolas Grunitzky was the second president of Togo and its third head of state. He was President from 1963 to 1967. He was elected Prime Minister of Togo —still under French administration— in 1956. Following the 1963 coup which killed his nationalist political rival Sylvanus Olympio, Grunitzky was chosen by the military committee of coup leaders to be Togo's second President.
Background
Ethnicity:
Father was German (of Polish origin) while mother was Togolese (of Yoruba royalty)
Nicolas Grunitzky was born on the 5th of April, 1913 in Atakpamé to a German father (of Polish origin) and a Togolese mother (of Yoruba royalty).
Education
Nicolas Grunitzky studied civil engineering at the École Spéciale des Travaux Publics (ESTP) in Paris and was a public administrator before leaving to form his own company.
Career
Nicolas Grunitzky began his political career by serving as the secretary-general of the Parti togolais du progrès (Togolese Party of Progress) and was elected into office with the Togolose Parliament in 1951. He was Prime Minister of the Republic of Togo from September 12, 1956 but went into exile after being deposed on May 16, 1958. Grunitzky was appointed president by the "Insurrection Committee" headed by Emmanuel Bodjollé following a coup d'état that ended with the assassination of president (and Grunitzky's brother-in-law) Sylvanus Olympio. This was the first military coup in Western Africa following independence, and was organized by a group of soldiers under the direction of Sergeant Étienne Gnassingbé Eyadema. Nicolas Grunitzky attempted to unify the country by including several political parties in his government. However, he was toppled in a bloodless military coup led by now-Lt. Col Étienne Gnassingbé Eyadema and was exiled to Paris. He was injured in a car accident in Cote D'Ivoire, and died from complications in a hospital in Paris in 1969.
Politics
Grunitzky political views are seen from his intentions. Under Grunitzky,s leadership, the Togolese Party for Progress (Parti Togolais du Progrès—PTP) and the Union of Chiefs and Peoples of the North (Union des Chefs et des Populations du Nord—UCPN) advocated that Togo remain an autonomous republic within the French Union.