Background
Zawdie Gabre Selassie was born in 1927, the son of Gabre Selassie, a powerful courtier in the household of Emperor Menelik.
Zawdie Gabre Selassie was born in 1927, the son of Gabre Selassie, a powerful courtier in the household of Emperor Menelik.
He was educated at the famed Haile Selassie secondary school and at Oxford University.
He became acting Minister for Public Works from 1955 to 1957 and Mayor of Addis Ababa from 1957 to 1960, then Ambassador to Somalia from 1960 to 1961.
After the attempted coup in 1960 Haile Selassie called on him as one of the brighter young noblemen who could liberalise and rejuvenate his government. He became Minister of Justice in 1961. Soon he tried to introduce plans to ensure the independence of the judiciary and the reform of the overworked court system, but these efforts were blocked and delayed and he resigned in 1962. He then went back to Oxford, ostensibly to take a PhD, and stayed until 1968.
He was restored to favour with his appointment, in a place where his diplomatic talents could flourish, as Ethiopia’s Ambassador to the United Nations.
During his brief spell as Minister of Justice he resigned because he was unable to introduce reforms. Popular among the younger educated elite, he could emerge in any future progressive government.
A complex personality and scholar with a good knowledge of history, he had a strong social sense and would like to see rapid and progressive changes.