Khama, Sir Seretse

▪ president of Botswana

born July 1, 1921, Serowe, Bechuanaland [now Botswana]

died July 13, 1980, Gaborone, Botswana

      first president of Botswana (1966–80), after the former Bechuanaland protectorate gained independence from Great Britain.

      Seretse Khama was the grandson of Khama III the Good, who had allied his kingdom in Bechuanaland with British colonizers in the late 19th century. Seretse Khama succeeded his father to the chieftainship of the Ngwato (Mangwato, or Bamangwato) people at age four. He was educated in South Africa and studied law at the University of Oxford. His marriage to Ruth Williams, a British woman, in 1948 caused considerable controversy in both Britain and Bechuanaland and was among the reasons the British government forced his exile from Bechuanaland until he agreed to renounce the chieftainship in 1956.

      Following his return to Bechuanaland as a private citizen, he founded the Democratic Party in 1962, and in 1965 he became prime minister. He helped negotiate the terms of Botswana's independence, and he was knighted in 1966.

      As president of Botswana, Khama promoted his ideal of a multiracial democracy. He achieved free universal education in Botswana and sought to diversify and strengthen the country's economy. He was reelected to successive terms and served as president of Botswana until his death. His son, Ian Khama, became president of Botswana in 2008.

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