| Is |
Lawyer Diplomat |
| From | Ghana |
| Type |
Law Politics |
| Gender | male |
| Birth | 1916 |
James Mercer (born January 17, 1916) was a Ghanaian diplomat to Israel during the 1960s and a prominent national lawyer. He was the first chairman of the now-defunct Ghana Airways.
Early life
Mercer was born in Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana. His twin brother was Thomas Mends Kodwo-Mercer and both attended Adisadel College, Cape Coast, as did many of his siblings, children and grandchildren, a long-standing tradition of his family.
Career
He was a prominent lawyer, working during the government of Kwame Nkrumah and beyond. Mercer was a barrister-at-law at the Sekondi Bar, Chairman of the Ghana/Ivory Coast Border Commission and first Chairman of the now-defunct Ghana Airways.
- From May 24, 1962 to 1963 he was ambassador to Peking.
- From July 1, 1964 to February 24, 1966 he was ambassador to Tel Aviv. (Ghana–Israel relations)
Family
He is the father of Andrew Egypa Mercer, a current member of parliament for Sekondi. He was also the brother of T. M. Kodwo-Mercer, the first Ghanaian High Commissioner to Britain from 1954 to 1956 and uncle of the former Minister of Trade and Industry, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah. James Mercer was also the uncle of late Sally Hayfron, first wife of Robert Mugabe.