Sylvanus E. Olympio (1902-1963), the first president of the Republic of Togo, was distinguished for his pragmatism, brilliance, and moderation. His government was overthrown by the first military coup in tropical Africa, and he was assassinated.

Sylvanus Olympio was born into a very influential Lomé family which had emigrated from Brazil in the mid-19th century. He was educated in Togolese schools, and although a resident of the French area of the Mandated Territory of Togo, he attended the London School of Economics, earning a degree in commerce in 1926. He was immediately employed by the United Africa Company and eventually rose to be its district manager for Togo.

Togolese citizens faced two problems not common to most African territories. In the 1880s Britain, Germany, and France had drawn arbitrary boundaries which divided people of the same tribes. The Ewe were the most affected since they were forced...