Nelson Mandela

South African President, a civil rights hero and martyr who claimed victory in his lifetime crusade to establish a non-racial democracy for South Africa. He was arrested as a political prisoner on August 5, 1962 and spent 27 years in prison, released on February 11, 1990. A charismatic personality, he went on lecture tours to run for public office. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 and became the nation's first black president on May 2, 1994. He was sworn in on May 10, 1994 at 12:18 PM EET, beaming and eyes glistening. He served as his nation's president until June 1999. Mandela is the author of "Long Walk to Freedom" (1994) and "The Struggle is My Life" (1986). Mandela was educated at University College of Fort Hare but was suspended for participating in a strike. He completed his studies by taking correspondence courses. He attended the University of Witwatersrand where he qualified in law in 1942. A member of the African National Congress, he protested the apartheid policies of the ruling National Party. He was tried for treason in 1956-1961 but was acquitted. Although the African National Congress was banned in 1960, Mandela continued his resistance efforts. He was arrested in 1962 and sentenced to five years' imprisonment with hard labor. While he was in prison, on June 12, 1964 he was further sentenced to life imprisonment. But his popularity grew. After his release on February 11, 1990, he continued his life's work to banish apartheid policies. In 1991, he was elected President of the African National Congress at its first conference since it had been banned more than thirty years earlier. Mandela has been married three times. In 1957 he divorced his first wife. That year he met Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe Madikizela (Winnie) and they married in June 1958; they had two daughters. They separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996. Mandela celebrated his 80th birthday by marrying his sweetheart, 52 year-old Graca Machel, on July 18, 1998. The two exchanged vows in a private civil ceremony at Mandela's home outside of Johannesburg, followed by his birthday celebration the next day attended by 2,000 guests. It was attended by such renowned people as Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Danny Glover and Naomi Campbell. On January 6, 2005, Mandela’s 54-year-old son died in Johannesburg, South Africa of septic shock and pneumonia associated with AIDS. Makgatho was the only surviving son of the revered South African leader. Mandela died on 5 December 2013 at his home, after several months of fighting with pneumonia. Link to Wikipedia biography