Isaac William Benneh

Benneh was born on 12 May 1912 at Berekum in the Bono Region of Ghana.{{cite book |last=Sowah |first=E. N. P |date=1968 |title=Report of the Sowah Commission : appointed under the Commission of Enquiry Act, 1964 (Act 250) and N.L.C. Investigation and Forfeiture of Assets Decree, 1966 N.L.C.D. 72 to enquire into the assets of specified persons, volume 2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xzYmAQAAMAAJ&q=1912+berekum+certificate |page=69}} He had his elementary education at Berekum and Abetifi where he obtained his Standard 7 certificate in 1930.

After receiving two years training with Cadbury and Fry Company, Benneh became a cocoa broker for the Company in 1933. He rose through the ranks and became a supervisor of the company in 1951.{{cite book |last=Sowah |first=E. N. P |date=1968 |title=Report of the Sowah Commission : appointed under the Commission of Enquiry Act, 1964 (Act 250) and N.L.C. Investigation and Forfeiture of Assets Decree, 1966 N.L.C.D. 72 to enquire into the assets of specified persons, volume 2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xzYmAQAAMAAJ&q=gradually+1951 |page=69}} While working with the company, he also run his own transport business.

Upon the death of J. G. Awuah, the then sitting Convention People's Party (CPP) member for the Berekum constituency, the Berekum seat was vacant and a by-election was held on 25 April 1957.{{cite news |title=Steel boxes for Berekum by-election |work=Daily Graphic |publisher=Graphic Communications Group Ltd |date=22 April 1957}} Benneh contested for the seat and won on the ticket of the CPP.{{cite news |last=Therson-Cofie |first=Martin |date=1957-04-27 |title=CPP retains seat at Berekum |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vd1mAAAAcAAJ&q=Benneh+awuah&pg=PA16 |work=Daily Graphic |access-date=2020-04-29}} After winning the election, he was appointed General Manager of the Ghana Farmer's Cooperative.{{cite book |last=Sowah |first=E. N. P |date=1968 |title=Report of the Sowah Commission : appointed under the Commission of Enquiry Act, 1964 (Act 250) and N.L.C. Investigation and Forfeiture of Assets Decree, 1966 N.L.C.D. 72 to enquire into the assets of specified persons, volume 2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xzYmAQAAMAAJ&q=1912+berekum+certificate |page=69}} In October 1959, he was a appointed Ministerial Secretary to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and held this appointment until June, 1960. In August 1960, he was transferred to the Ministry of Labour, Co-operatives and Social Welfare serving in that same capacity. That same year, Benneh was elevated to the rank of a minister of state given the Portfolio of Education. He held this appointment for a period of four years until he was transferred to the Ministry of Communications.{{cite journal |title=Ghana Year Book |journal=Ghana Year Book |date=1961 |page=12 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7qISAAAAIAAJ&q=Benneh |accessdate=2 February 2020 |publisher=Graphic Corporation}} On 15 April 1965 he was appointed Minister for Rural Industries, replacing John Young Ghann who had then been made Minister for Internal Trade.{{cite report |title=Daily Report, Foreign Radio Broadcasts, Issues 72-75|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QBzbeo5BXrsC&q=Benneh+rural+Industries&pg=PP12 |publisher=United States. Central Intelligence Agency |page=I 1 |date=1965}}{{cite journal |title=West Africa Annual, Issue 8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y03jAAAAMAAJ&q=benneh |publisher=James Clarke |page=77 |year=1965}} Benneh remained in this capacity until 24 February 1966 when the Nkrumah government was overthrown.

Benneh was married to Mrs. Lucy Benneh (née Ofori-Atta) in 1959.{{cite book |last=Sowah |first=E. N. P |date=1968 |title=Report of the Sowah Commission : appointed under the Commission of Enquiry Act, 1964 (Act 250) and N.L.C. Investigation and Forfeiture of Assets Decree, 1966 N.L.C.D. 72 to enquire into the assets of specified persons, volume 2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xzYmAQAAMAAJ&q=Lucy+marriage |page=69}}{{cite book |last=Sowah |first=E. N. P |date=1968 |title=Report of the Sowah Commission : appointed under the Commission of Enquiry Act, 1964 (Act 250) and N.L.C. Investigation and Forfeiture of Assets Decree, 1966 N.L.C.D. 72 to enquire into the assets of specified persons, volume 2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xzYmAQAAMAAJ&q=clerical+Ministry+Labour+1957 |page=69}} Lucy was a clerical officer in the Ministry of Labour from 1957 until 1958 when she was moved to the Broadcasting Department working in the same capacity. She however, resigned in 1961. Prior to his marriage to Lucy, Benneh had married ten times and had forty-two children with the ten women.{{cite book |last=Sowah |first=E. N. P |date=1968 |title=Report of the Sowah Commission : appointed under the Commission of Enquiry Act, 1964 (Act 250) and N.L.C. Investigation and Forfeiture of Assets Decree, 1966 N.L.C.D. 72 to enquire into the assets of specified persons, volume 2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xzYmAQAAMAAJ&q=Notwithstanding+large |page=69}} He was father of the Ghanaian academic and university administrator, George Benneh who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana from 1992 to 1996.{{Cite web|title=Professor George Benneh – Rest Well|url=https://profgeorgebenneh.com/|access-date=2021-08-12|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-08-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812193409/https://profgeorgebenneh.com/|url-status=dead}}

He was also the father of Emmanuel Yaw Benneh, who was a Law Professor with the University of Ghana.{{Cite web|url=https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/police-hold-4-over-professor-benneh-s-murder.html|title = Police hold 4 over Professor Benneh's murder}} He is known to be deceased.{{cite news |title=Prof Benneh To Be Buried On November 21 |url=https://www.theghanareport.com/102254-2/ |access-date=31 October 2022 |work=The Ghana Report |date=12 November 2020}}

• List of MLAs elected in the 1956 Gold Coast legislative election
• List of MPs elected in the 1965 Ghanaian parliamentary election

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Category:1912 births

Category:Year of death missing

Category:Ghanaian MPs 1956–1965

Category:Ghanaian MPs 1965–1966

Category:Convention People's Party (Ghana) politicians