Liberia
Liberia, 1847 to today. Draft, not yet reviewed
Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. Led by the Americo-Liberians, Liberia declared independence on July 26, 1847, which the U.S. did not recognize until February 5, 1862. Liberia was the first African republic to gain independence and is Africa's oldest continuously independent country. In 1980, political tensions from the rule of William Tolbert resulted in a military coup, marking the end of Americo-Liberian rule and the seizure of power by Liberia's first indigenous leader, Samuel Doe.
Seat of power: Monrovia
Rulers
Joseph Jenkins Roberts
President of Liberia, 1848–1856
He was elected as the first and the seventh president of Liberia after independence. He opened a trading firm in Monrovia and later engaged in politics.
Portrait of Joseph Jenkins Roberts: not stated, Public domain, file
Stephen Allen Benson
President of Liberia, 1856–1864
He served as the second president of Liberia from 1856 to 1864. In 1857, Benson organized the annexation of the Republic of Maryland. Benson obtained diplomatic recognition for Liberia from Belgium in 1858, Denmark in 1860, the United States and Italy in 1862, Norway and Sweden in 1863, and Haiti in 1864.
Portrait of Stephen Allen Benson: Rufus Anson, Public domain, file
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Daniel Bashiel Warner
President of Liberia, 1864–1868
He served as the third president of Liberia from 1864 to 1868. He also wrote the lyrics to the Liberian national anthem, which the country officially adopted upon its independence from the American Colonization Society in 1847.
Portrait of Daniel Bashiel Warner: Unknown author, Public domain, file
Anthony W. Gardiner
President of Liberia, 1878–1883
He served as the ninth president of Liberia from 1878 until 1883. He was the first of a series of thirteen True Whig presidents who held uninterrupted power in Liberia from 1878 until 1980.
Portrait of Anthony W. Gardiner: Unknown author, Public domain, file
Hilary R. W. Johnson
President of Liberia, 1884–1892
He served as the 11th president of Liberia from 1884 to 1892. He was the first Liberian president to be born in Africa. He was elected four times.
Portrait of Hilary R. W. Johnson: Unknown, Public domain, file
Arthur Barclay
President of Liberia, 1904–1912
He was the 15th president of Liberia from 1904 to 1912. Barclay immigrated to Liberia with his father in 1865. He was the uncle of the 18th president, Edwin Barclay.
Portrait of Arthur Barclay: Unknown author, Public domain, file
Daniel Edward Howard
President of Liberia, 1912–1920
He was the 16th president of Liberia, serving from 1912 to 1920. With the outbreak of World War I, he attempted to maintain the country's neutrality, though he tended to support the Allies, whose colonial territories in Africa surrounded Liberia. The finances of Liberia were so shaky that the pay of government employees was often suspended for months at a time.
Portrait of Daniel Edward Howard: George Grantham Bain Collection (Library of Congress), Public domain, file
Charles D. B. King
President of Liberia, 1920–1930
He served as the 17th president of Liberia from 1920 to 1930. He attended the 1919 Paris Peace Conference and the accompanying First Pan-African Congress. A forced labor and slavery scandal forced his resignation in 1930.
Portrait of Charles D. B. King: Auguste Léon, Public domain, file
Edwin Barclay
President of Liberia, 1930–1944
He served as the 18th president of Liberia from 1930 until 1944. He became President of Liberia in 1930 when President King and Vice President Allen Yancy resigned after being implicated by a League of Nations investigation as having profited from forced labor. Under Barclay's leadership, Liberia was an ally of the United States during World War II.
Portrait of Edwin Barclay: George Grantham Bain Collection (Library of Congress), Public domain, file
William Tubman
President of Liberia, 1944–1971
He was the 19th president of Liberia and the longest-serving president in the country's history, serving from his election in 1944 until his death in 1971. During his presidency sufficient foreign investment was attracted to modernize the country's economy and infrastructure. He also led a policy of national unification to reduce the social and political differences between his fellow Americo-Liberians and the indigenous Liberians.
William Richard Tolbert
President of Liberia, 1971–1980
He served as the 20th president of Liberia from 1971 until his assassination in 1980. He was elected vice president to William Tubman in 1952 and served in that position until he became president following Tubman's death in 1971. Tolbert was assassinated in the 1980 coup d'état by the People's Redemption Council led by Samuel Doe, marking the end of 133 years of Americo-Liberian rule in Liberia.
Portrait of William Richard Tolbert: Kightlinger, Jack E., Photographer, Public domain, file
Charles Taylor
President of Liberia, 1997–2003
He served as the 22nd president of Liberia from 2 August 1997 until his resignation on 11 August 2003. Taylor was elected president in the 1997 general election as a member of the National Patriotic Party (NPP). After leaving office, he was found guilty of war crimes committed in the Sierra Leone Civil War, and was sentenced to 50 years in prison.
Portrait of Charles Taylor: Plymouth County Sheriff's Office, Public domain, file
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Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
President of Liberia, 2006–2018
She served as the 24th president of Liberia from 2006 to 2018. Sirleaf was the first elected female head of state in Africa. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011, in recognition of her efforts to bring women into the peacekeeping process.
Portrait of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf: PMO Barbados, Public domain, file
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George Weah
President of Liberia, 2018–2024
He served as the 25th president of Liberia from 2018 to 2024. Before his election for the presidency, Weah served as senator from Montserrado County. He is the first African former professional footballer to become a head of state.
Portrait of George Weah: United States Department of State Africa U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit: Photos and Videos, Public domain, file
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Joseph Boakai
President of Liberia, 2024 to today
He has served as the 26th president of Liberia since 2024. He previously served as the 29th vice president of Liberia from 2006 to 2018, under President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and as the minister of agriculture from 1983 to 1985. He went on to defeat Weah in the 2023 election.
Portrait of Joseph Boakai: Cabinet Public Relations Office of the Cabinet Secretariat, CC BY 4.0, file
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Culture
- The official language is English, though over 20 indigenous languages are spoken, reflecting the country's ethnic and cultural diversity.
- In the early 20th century Liberia saw a large investment in rubber production by Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. During World War II, Liberia supported the U.S. war effort against Nazi Germany and in turn received considerable American investment in infrastructure, which aided the country's wealth and development.
- Liberia was a founding member of the League of Nations, United Nations, and the Organisation of African Unity.
- The two wars resulted in the deaths of 250,000 people (about 8% of the population) and the displacement of many more, with Liberia's economy shrinking by 90%. A peace agreement in 2003 led to democratic elections in 2005.
Picture
Monrovia was founded in April 1822 by members of the American Colonization Society as a settlement for free people of color from the United States.
Image: blk24ga, CC BY 3.0, file
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Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.