| 1 | Name: | President Nelson Mandela | |
| Institution: | Former President of South Africa | ||
| Year Elected: | 1994 | ||
| Class: | 5. The Arts, Professions, and Leaders in Public & Private Affairs | ||
| Subdivision: | 503. Administrators, Bankers and Opinion Leaders from the Public or Private Sectors | ||
| Residency: | International | ||
| Living? : | Deceased | ||
| Birth Date: | 1918 | ||
| Death Date: | December 5, 2013 | ||
Nelson Mandela was born in South Africa in 1918. He attended Fort Hare University College and the University of Witwatersrand before commencing a legal practice in Johannesburg with fellow activist Oliver Tambo, forming the country's first black legal partnership. He joined the African National Congress and was a founder of the ANC Youth League, which in 1951 organized the Campaign for the Defiance of Unjust Laws. During the 1950s Mandela and other ANC members defied the South African government and consequently were banned from working with the ANC. When the ban was lifted in the early 1960s, Mandela was elected secretary of the ANC. He was soon forced underground, however, and was tried and imprisoned for sabotage and attempting to overthrow the government. In 1963 he began a life sentence and remained in jail for 25 years. As change came to South Africa, he met with State President Botha and later President F.W. de Klerk. The latter released Mandela from jail nine days after the ban on the ANC was lifted. Mandela was elected president of the ANC in 1991 and became South Africa's first black president in 1994, serving until 1999. In 1993 he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of all South Africans who suffered and sacrificed to bring peace to their land. Among countless other honors are UNESCO's Simon Bolivar International Prize (1983), the Sakharov Prize (1988), the Liberty Medal (1993) and the APS's Benjamin Franklin Award for Distinguished Public Service. Its citation describes Mandela as a "steadfast advocate of justice (and) tireless champion of freedom" and "salutes this son of a chief and father of a nation, and recognizes his extraordinary contribution, not only to the citizens of South Africa, but also to countless men and women in other lands. Who, as a prisoner of conscience for 28 years, so used his captivity to instruct and inspire others, that the prison in which he was confined has now become a symbol of courage and hope, and a place of pilgrimage. And who, as leader of his people and their first elected president, led the way to equality, improved education, housing and economic growth, with vision, determination, energy and magnanimity, achieving reconciliation and cooperation between long-standing adversaries. In awarding Nelson Mandela the Franklin Medal, the American Philosophical Society salutes this international statesman and applauds his consistency of purpose, his resolute courage, his generosity of spirit and his inspiring example." Nelson Mandela was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society in 1994. In 2007 he joined the Elders, a freelance global diplomatic team dedicated to working for the common good. The alliance also includes former president Jimmy Carter, former Irish president Mary Robinson, and the retired Anglican archbishop Desmond Tutu. Nelson Mandela died on December 5, 2013, in Johannesburg, South Africa, at the age of 95. | |||