Solution: ___ Nkrumah, first P.M. and president of Ghana - NYT Crossword

/23A. These stacked name trivia clues are tough if you draw a blank on the pun clue at 1D, the way I did. The “first P.M. and president of Ghana” is KWAME Nkrumah, who had a tumultuous rise and fall (and wound up in exile, after surviving multiple assassination attempts). I was able to deduce this name with a couple of letters. The “first Stuart king of England,” however, got me. Perhaps I was influenced by the TAM at 22A, but I liked “Hamish” here, even though there’s never been a King Hamish. I corrected this to JAMES I only when the grid was nearly finished. My memory for royal descent is awful.