William Tubman secured the presidency of Liberia in 1944, initiating a tenure that lasted until his death in 1971. As the nineteenth individual to hold the office, he remains the longest-serving president in the history of the nation, presiding over decades of significant infrastructure expansion and a controversial policy of national unification.
Early Development and Legal Career
Born in Harper in 1895, Tubman was one of five children raised in a Methodist household. His early education took place at the Cape Palmas Seminary and Harper County High School. Between 1910 and 1917, he served in various military operations, rising from private to officer. After studying law under private tutors, he passed the bar exam in 1917. His early professional life included roles as a teacher, tax collector, and recorder in the Maryland County Monthly and Probate Court.
Twenty questions, eight minutes on the clock, and a percentile measured against everyone who has taken it. No sign-up.
Take the IQ test →Legislative and Judicial Service
Tubman entered politics through the True Whig Party. In 1923, he was elected to the Senate of Liberia representing Maryland County, becoming the youngest senator in the country’s history at age 28. He served until 1931, when he resigned to defend Liberia against international accusations regarding slave labor at the League of Nations. After returning to the legislature in 1934, he was appointed an associate justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia in 1937 by President Edwin Barclay, a position he held until 1943.
The Presidency and Foreign Policy
Elected president on 4 May 1943 and inaugurated the following January, Tubman guided Liberia through the final years of World War II. Despite his nation's reliance on German merchants and medical professionals, he aligned Liberia with the Allied cause in 1944. Following the war, he cultivated a close relationship with the United States, becoming the first African head of state to be received at the White House by Franklin D. Roosevelt in June 1944. He later championed pan-African cooperation, participating in the 1955 Asian-African Conference and hosting the 1959 Conference of African States.
Fast facts
- Born: 1895, Harper, Liberia
- Died: 1971, London
- Presidential term: 1944–1971
- Political party: True Whig Party
- Religion: Methodism
- Highest education: Law (via private tutoring)
- Notable honor: Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (1956)
Questions readers ask
What was the core of Tubman's domestic policy?
He led a policy of national unification intended to bridge social and political gaps between Americo-Liberians and indigenous Liberian groups.
What honors did Tubman receive during his career?
He was awarded several international honors, including the Royal Order of the Seraphim, the Order of the Sun of Peru, and the Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic.
Achievements
- President of Liberia (1944–1971)
- Member of the Senate of Liberia
- president
- Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic
- Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany — 1956
- Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
- Royal Order of the Seraphim
