Passion or Profession: President

Period: 1921–1980

Born in Serowe in what was then Bechuanaland, Khama inherited the chieftainship of the Ngwato people. He was educated as a lawyer in England. Exiled by the British colonial government, in part due to his marriage to Englishwoman Ruth Williams, Khama was forced to renounce his chieftainship before returning to his homeland. In 1962, he founded the Bechuanaland Democratic Party, which led the way to independence in 1966. He was declared the first president of the new Republic of Botswana and was reelected three times before his death.