William Tubman (29 November 1895-23 July 1971) was President of Liberia from 3 January 1944 to 23 July 1971, succeeding Edwin Barclay and preceding William R. Tolbert, Jr..
Biography[]
William Tubman was born on 29 November 1895 in Harper, Liberia, the son of the army general Reverend Alexander Tubman and his wife Elizabeth Barnes, with both of his parents coming from families that originated in Georgia. His father's family was owned by Emily Tubman before she released them in 1844, while his mother was from the city of Augusta. Tubman worked as a teacher, tax collector, and militia colonel, and he joined the True Whig Party. In 1923, he was elected to the Senate of Liberia from Maryland County, and he fought for the constitutional rights of the indigenous majority of Liberians. In 1943, he was elected President of Liberia, succeeding Edwin Barclay, having served on the Supreme Court. Tubman made the hard choice of expelling all Germans from the country during World War II, which harmed Liberia due to the fact that most doctors in the country were German and because Germany was a major trade partner of Liberia. After the war's end, he strengthened his ties to fellow African leaders, and in 1961 he helped to found the African Union. Attracting foreign businesses to Liberia, Tubman led Liberia into a period of prosperity, but he implemented authoritarian rule after a failed 1955 assassination attempt. Through patronage appointments, he gained the loyalty of several politicians, and because there were no constitutional term limits and he did not choose to leave power, Tubman remained the dictator of Liberia until his death in 1971.