Presidents of Liberia – in chronological order
 

 


1.
Joseph Jenkins Roberts 1848-1856

  • Born in Virginia, USA
  • First President of Liberia
  • Was elected six times

2.
Stephen Allen Benson 1856-1864

  • Born in Maryland, USA
  • Was elected four times

3.
Daniel Bashiel Warner 1864-1868

  • Born in Maryland, USA
  • Was elected twice

4.
James Spriggs Payne 1868-1870

  • Born in Virginia, USA 
  • Was elected twice (2nd term: 1876-1878)

5.
Edward James Roye 1870-1871 

  • Born in Ohio, USA
  • Was elected once 
  • First President who was deposed in a coup d’état
  • Possibly the First President who was assassinated

6.
James S. Smith (VP)
completed Roye’s term 1871-1872

  • Born in South Carolina, USA

7.
Joseph Jenkins Roberts 1872-1876

8.
James Spriggs Payne 1876-1878

9.
Anthony William Gardiner 1878-1883 

  • Born in Virginia, USA 
  • Was elected three times
  • First President who resigned

10.
Alfred Francis Russell  (VP) 
completed Gardiner’s term 1883-1884

  • Born in Kentucky, USA

11.
Hilary Richard Wright Johnson 1884-1892

  • First Liberian President born in Africa (of American parents)
  • Was elected four times

12.
Joseph James Cheeseman 1892-1896

  • Born in Edina, Grand Bassa County, Liberia
  • Was elected three times
  • First President who died in office

13.
William David Coleman (VP)
completed Cheeseman’s term 1896-1900 

  • Born in Kentucky, USA
  • Was elected twice
  • Second President who resigned

14.
Garretson Wilmot Gibson 
completed Coleman’s term 1900-1904

  • Born in Maryland, USA
  • Was elected once

15.
Arthur Barclay 1904-1912 

  • Born in Bridgetown, Barbados, British West Indies
  • Was elected three times
  • First President who served a four-year term

16.
Daniel Edward Howard 1912-1920

  • Born in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, Liberia
  • Was elected twice

17.
Charles Dunbar Burgess King 1920-1930

  • Born in Liberia of Sierra Leonian parents
  • Was elected three times
  • Third President who resigned

18.
Edwin James Barclay 
completed King’s term 1930-1944

  • Born in Brewerville, Montserrado County, Liberia 
  • Was elected twice
  • First President who served an eight-year term

19.
William Vacanarat Shadrach Tubman 1944-1971

  • Born in Harper, Maryland County, Liberia
  • Was elected six times
  • Longest serving President in Liberian history
  • Second President who died in office

20.
William Richard Tolbert, Jr. 1971-1980
completed Tubman's 6th term (1971) and served his 7th term (1972-1976)

  • Born in Bensonville, Montserrado County, Liberia
  • Was elected once (1975)
  • Second President who was deposed in a coup
  • Second President who was assassinated

21.
Samuel Kanyon Doe 1980-1990

  • Born in Tuzon, Grand Gedeh County, Liberia
  • First President of tribal descent (Krahn),
    rigged the 1985 presidential elections
  • First military leader/President
  • Third President who was assassinated
  • Third President who was deposed in a coup
  • Was elected once

6 Interim Presidents during the civil war (1990s):

  • Amos Sawyer (November 1990 – August 1993)
  • Bismarck Kuyon (August 1993 – November 1993)
  • Philip Banks (November 1993 – February 1994)
  • David Kpormakor (February 1994 – September 1995)
  • Wilton Sankawulo (September 1995 – September 1996)
  • Ruth Perry (September 1996 – August 1997)
    • First female Head of State
22.
Charles Ghankay Taylor 1997-2003
  • Born in Liberia (A.L. father, Golah mother)
  • Was elected once following the end of a civil war he had started
  • Fourth President who resigned
23.
Moses Blah completed Taylor’s term 
August-October 2003 
  • Born in Toweh Town, Nimba County, Liberia.
  • Second President of tribal descent (Gio)

Charles Gyude Bryant
October 14, 2003 - January 16, 2006

  • Born in Maryland County, Liberia 
  • Was 'elected' by Liberians/representatives of fighting parties, political parties and civil society during peace talks in in Ghana
  • Leader National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL)

24.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
January 16, 2006 - Januari 22, 2018

  • Born in Monrovia, Liberia
  • Was elected in 2005 when she defeated
    George Weah
  • Liberia's second female Head of State
  • Liberia's first elected female president

25.
George M. Weah
January 22, 2018 - present

  • Born in Monrovia, Liberia
  • Was elected in 2017 when he defeated Vice President Joseph Boakai
  • Third president of tribal descent (Kru)
  • Liberia's first democratically elected indigenous president

 

 

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