President Hubert Maga

Hubert Maga was a political leader in Dahomey (now Benin). A teacher, he became active in politics and was (1951–58) a representative in the French national assembly. When Dahomey achieved independence (1960), he became its first president. The country’s deteriorating economy led (October 1963) to his removal in a coup, and he later went into exile. He subsequently returned and served (1970–72) as head of a rotating three-man presidential commission designed to reduce domestic turmoil. The trio’s ineffectiveness, however, led to their overthrow and imprisonment by Maj. Mathieu Kérékou. Maga was released in 1981.

The country of Dahomey was renamed Benin in 1975.