What is Léon M'ba?
{{Infobox_President |name=Gabriel Léon M'ba |nationality=[[Gabon]]ian |image=Léon M'ba 1964.jpg |caption=Léon M'ba in 1964 |order=1st [[President of Gabon]] |term_start=February 12, 1961 |term_end=November 27, 1967 |predecessor=''None (position first established)'' |successor=[[Omar Bongo]] |birth_date={{birth date|1902|2|9|mf=y}} |birth_place=[[Libreville]], [[Gabon]] |death_date={{death date and age|1967|11|27|1902|2|9|mf=y}} |death_place=[[Paris]], [[France]] |spouse= |party=[[Comité Mixte Gabonais]], [[Bloc Démocratique Gabonais]] |vicepresident= |religion= | order2=[[Prime Minister of Gabon]]| term_start2=27 February 1959 | term_end2=21 February 1961 | predecessor2=''None (position first established)'' | successor2=''None (position abolished)'' }} '''Gabriel Léon M'ba''' (February 9, 1902 in [[Libreville]] - November 28, 1967 in [[Paris]]) was the first [[President of Gabon|President]] of [[Gabon]] (1960 - 1967). The surname is also written 'M'Ba' and 'Mba'. He was a member of the [[Beti-Pahuin#Fang|Fang people]] ethnic group. He was prime minister from May 21, 1957 to February 21, 1961 and became president upon independence from [[France]] on August 17, 1960. He was briefly toppled by a military [[coup d'etat]] in February 1964, and [[Jean-Hilaire Aubame]] was installed as president, but was restored within days through French intervention. M'ba was reelected in March 1967, but died in November of that year and was succeeded by his vice president, [[Omar Bongo Ondimba|Albert-Bernard Bongo]] (now Omar Bongo Ondimba). Gabon's main airport, the [[Libreville International Airport|Leon M'ba International Airport]], is named for him. On November 27, 2007, President Bongo Ondimba attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a newly built Mausoleum for M'ba in Libreville. {{bio-stub}} {{start box}} {{succession box|title=[[President of Gabon]]|before=''(none)''|after=[[Omar Bongo Ondimba]]|years=1960&ndash;1967}} {{end box}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Mba, Leon}} [[Category:1902 births]] [[Category:1967 deaths]] [[Category: