Nicolas Grunitzky

Who was Nicolas Grunitzky?

Nicolas Grunitzky was the second president of Togo and its third head of state. He was President from 1963 to 1967. Grunitzky was Prime Minister of Togo from 1956 to 1958 under the French Colonial loi cadre system, which created limited "national" government in their colonial possessions. His political rival Sylvanus Olympio was elected President of Togo—still under French administration—in 1958, and was elected first President of independent Togo in 1960. Following the 1963 coup which killed Olympio, Grunitzky was chosen by the military committee of coup leaders to be Togo's second President.