Timothy Ansah
{{Short description|Ghanaian educationist and politician}}
{{Use Ghanaian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Timothy Ansah
| honorific-suffix =
| image =
| alt =
| constituency_MP = Tarkwa-Aboso
| parliament = Ghana
| majority =
| predecessor = New
| successor= Constituency abolished
| term_start = 1965
| term_end = 1966
| birth_date = {{birth date|1919|09|04|df=yes}}
| birth_name = Timothy Ansah
| birth_place = Axim, Western Region, Gold Coast
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2008|06|22|1919|09|04}}
| death_place =
| nationality = Ghanaian
| spouse =
| party = Convention People's Party
| relations =
| children =
| residence =
| alma_mater = {{unbulleted|Wesley College, Kumasi|Achimota School|University of Cambridge}}
| occupation =
| profession = Educationist
| signature =
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| website =
| footnotes =
}}
Timothy Ansah (1919-2008) was a Ghanaian educationist and politician. He was a member of parliament for the Tarkwa-Aboso constituency from 1965 to 1966.{{cite journal |title=West Africa Annual, Issue 8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nRBBAQAAIAAJ&q=timothy+ansah |publisher=James Clarke |page=80 |date=1965 |journal=West Africa Annual}} Prior to entering parliament, he taught in various educational institutions. He was the headmaster for Nsein Senior High School (then Kwame Nkrumah Secondary School) from 1960 to 1974.
Early life and education
Ansah was born on 4 September 1919 at Axim, a town in the Western Region of Ghana.{{cite journal |title=Ghana Year Book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3hMOAQAAMAAJ&q=timothy+ansah+sept |publisher=Graphic Corporation |page=2 |date=1966 |journal=Ghana Year Book}} He had his early education at York Hall School in Axim. He later proceeded to Wesley College, Achimota School and King's College, Cambridge. At Cambridge, he pursued a bachelor's degree program in History and pursued a post graduate course in Diploma of Education. He won his Cambridge Blue as an athlete for the Cambridge University competing against athletes from the University of Oxford for three years.{{cite journal |title=Ghana Year Book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3hMOAQAAMAAJ&q=Diploma+edn+won+blue |publisher=Graphic Corporation |page=2 |date=1966 |journal=Ghana Year Book}}{{cite journal |title=Directory of Ghana |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YSwUAAAAIAAJ&q=timothy+ansah |publisher=Diplomatic Press and Publishing Company |page=152 |date=1959}}{{cite book |last1=Bancroft |first1=John |last2=Booth |first2=M. B. |title= A register of admissions to King's College, Cambridge, 1945–1982 |year=1989 |publisher=King's College Association |page=16 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D3EsAQAAIAAJ&q=timothy+ansah}}
Career and politics
Ansah returned to Ghana in 1950 and took up a teaching appointment at his alma mater; Wesley College. There, he taught Music and History. He later moved to Fijai Secondary School and in January 1957 he was appointed the assistant headmaster of the School. He served in that capacity until 1960 when he was appointed headmaster for the Kwame Nkrumah Secondary School (was later Axim Secondary but now Nsein Senior High School).{{cite journal |title=Ghana Today, Volume 9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dcEqAAAAMAAJ&q=timothy+ansah |publisher=Information Section, Ghana Office |page=10 |date=1965 |journal=Ghana Today}}{{cite journal |title=Ghana Year Book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3hMOAQAAMAAJ&q=Written+many+songs |publisher=Graphic Corporation |page=2 |date=1966 |journal=Ghana Year Book}} He entered parliament in June 1965 representing the Tarkwa-Aboso constituency on the ticket of the Convention People's Party.{{cite journal |title=Parliamentary Debates; Official Report, Part 2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fwpIAQAAIAAJ&q=Timothy+Tarkwa-Aboso |page=215 |publisher=Ghana National Assembly |date=1965 |journal=Parliamentary Debates; Official Report}} He remained in parliament until February 1966 when the Nkrumah government was overthrown. He remained headmaster of Nsein Senior High School until 1974.{{cite web|url=https://www.modernghana.com/news/171443/timothy-ansah-is-dead.html |title=Timothy Ansah Is Dead |publisher=Modern Ghana |accessdate=11 December 2019}}
Personal life
His hobbies included listening to music, writing songs and African studies. He composed Ghanaian patriotic songs such as Momoane Beyennzo in Nzema and Dzin Pa Sen Ahonya. He also participated in the contest for the selection of the National Anthem. He died on Sunday, 22 June 2008.
Legacy
The Timothy Ansah Memorial Foundation Scholarships, a scholarship offered to students from the Western Region is named is his honour.{{cite web|url=https://worldscholarshipforum.com/timothy-ansah-memorial-foundation-scholarships/ |title=Timothy Ansah Memorial Foundation Scholarships for GHANIANS |publisher=World Scholarship Forum |accessdate=11 December 2019}}
Nsein Senior High School hold the Timothy Ansah Lectures annually in his honour.{{cite web|url=https://www.ghananewsagency.org/education/nsein-senior-high-holds-5th-timothy-ansah-lectures-97317 |title=Nsein Senior High holds 5th Timothy Ansah lectures |publisher=Ghana News Agency |accessdate=11 December 2019}}
Books
Kundum: festival of the Nzemas and Ahantas of the Western Region of Ghana (1999): {{ISBN|9988002211}}{{cite book |last=Ansah |first=Timothy |title= Kundum: festival of the Nzemas and Ahantas of the Western Region of Ghana |year=1999 |publisher=Onyase Printing Press |isbn=9988002211 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1IyBAAAAMAAJ&q=timothy+ansah }}{{cite journal |title=Accessions List of the Library of Congress Office, Nairobi, Kenya, Volume 35, Issue 3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JSTSivlGOlsC&q=timothy+ansah+kundum |publisher=Library of Congress. Library of Congress Office, Nairobi, Kenya. |page=135 |date=2002 |journal=Accessions List of the Library of Congress Office, Nairobi, Kenya}}{{cite journal |title=Newsletter, Issues 10–13 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ma9WAAAAYAAJ&q=timothy+ansah |publisher=Minneapolis, MN : Ghana Studies Council |page=16 |date=1997 |journal=Newsletter}}