Today, June 22 marks the 70th birthday of former President Jerry John Rawlings.
Born in Accra in 1947, to Madam Victoria Agbotui, a native of Dzelukope in the Volta Region and James Ramsey John, a Scotish chemist, he attended Achimota School before enrolling in the Ghana Armed Forces qualifying as a Pilot Officer in 1969.
Jerry Rawlings and Wife Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings in their early days
 Ten years after, in May 1979, Mr Rawlings burst onto the Ghanaian political scene after he was arrested for attempting to overthrow the then military regime of General F.W.K. Akuffo. He faced a possible death sentence.
However, a speech he gave during his trial resonated with a large section of the public that rose up in his defence. Consequently, on 4 June, soldiers sympathetic to his motivations broke him out of jail, and he led a revolt of both the military and civilians which overthrew the regime and left him in charge.
Jerry Rawlings address a crowd after taking power
Rawlings surrounded by fellow officers that staged the government takeover
Jerry Rawlings during his time as a military ruler
 He and the other junior officers formed the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) to embarked on what they termed as "house cleaning" which saw the trial and execution of some leading figures including three former heads of state.
After organising a general election and handing over to the civilian government led by Dr Hilla Limann in September, Rawlings returned to power on December 31, 1981 through another coup d'etat and ruled as Chairman of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) until 1992 when he resigned from the military to contest for president on the ticket of the newly formed National Democratic Congress.
Jerry Rawlings being sworn into office as a civilian president.
Chairman Rawlings, as he was then known, won a landslide victory with 58.3 percent of the votes while his party won 189 out of the 200 parliamentary seats available. He and his party again won elections in 1996, stepped down in 2001 after serving two terms as allowed by the constitution.
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Mr Rawlings being sworn in for a second term
He received many high profile world leaders in the country, including Queen Elizabeth
Former US President Bill Clinton were among the world leaders received by Mr Rawlings
After stepping down, he has still been involved in local politics, often criticising successive governments, including those of his own party on various issues especially those bothering on corruption.
His regular explosive criticisms and speeches have earned the nickname, "Dr Boom".
Mr Rawlings continues to be very vocal in politics
He is currently the African Union's Special Envoy to Somalia.
Mr Rawlings is married to Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, a candidate in the 2016Â general elections, with whom he has four adult children including Dr Zanetor Rawlings, MP for Klottey-Korle.
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Mr Rawlings and daughter Dr Zanetor Rawlings
          The Rawlings family
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