Passion or Profession: President

Period: 1902–1967

An advocate for independence, M'ba became a member of Gabon's Territorial Assembly in 1952 and was elected mayor of Libreville in 1956. The leader of the Gabon Democratic Bloc, which won elections in 1957, he was named president of Gabon when it became independent in 1960. French troops restored M'ba to the presidency after a military coup overthrew him in 1964. He was reelected just prior to his death in 1967.