Omar Bongo

Born on December 30, 1935, the youngest of 12 children, Bongo served as a lieutenant in the French Air Force, then climbed quickly through the civil service, eventually becoming vice president of Gabon. He assumed the presidency 2 December 1967, after the death of Leon M'Ba, the country's only other head of state since independence from France in 1960. Bongo set up a one-party state. Six years later, he converted to Islam and took the name Omar. Considered one of the wealthiest men in his country, his presidential security staff numbered 1,500, according to the U.S. State Department, while the entire military numbers just 10,000 troops. Bongo sought international approval and in May 2004 he visited then-President Bush at the White House. He also tried to cast himself as a mediator, working to end conflicts in Chad and Central African Republic, where his country has a small contingent of peacekeepers. He passed away in 2009; at the time of his death, he was the longest-serving ruler in the world.