Ras Betwoded Mekonnen Endelkachew (Amharic: መኮንን እንዳልካቸው; 16 February 1890 – 27 February 1963) was an Ethiopian aristocrat and Prime Minister under Emperor Haile Selassie. Mekonnen was born in Addisge, the nephew of the noted Shewan general and politician Ras Betwoded Tessema Nadew, who introduced him to Emperor Menelik II. He was a member of the alpha class of the Menelik II School in Addis Ababa when it opened in 1908.
He was a published author, having written a novel, Yayne Abäba, and a booklet on the Second Italo-Abyssinian War and Fascist atrocities.
Life
He was married twice. His second marriage, to the Emperor's niece, Princess Yeshashework Yilma, followed Makonnen's affair with the woman, who was married to the Tigrayan noble Ras Gugsa Araya Selassie at time. The affair threatened to destroy the accord Emperor Haile Selassie had carefully crafted, and led to Makonnen's recall from his post as Minister to Great Britain in 1932. The conflict between Ethiopia and the United Kingdom over the former's sovereignty dominated their relations for the next several years.
From 29 January 1943, when the Emperor created the position, Makonnen served as Ethiopia's first Prime Minister, until his retirement on 1 November 1957. Bahre Zewde notes, however, that Makonnen "was a mere ceremonial figure, given more to intellectual pursuits than to political machinations. The de facto prime minister [during Makonnen's tenure] was Tsahafe T'ezaz Walda-Giyorgis Walda-Yohannes." Spencer notes that his fellow ministers considered him "as a lightweight."
Although Makonnen led the delegation that represented Ethiopia at the summit in San Francisco that created the United Nations, because he was not fluent in either French or English he took no part in the debates.