William Tubman

William Vacanarat Shadrach Tubman (29 November 1895 – 23 July 1971) was a Liberian politician. 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.

Tubman is regarded as the "father of modern Liberia" in that during his presidency sufficient foreign investment was attracted to modernize the country's economy and infrastructure. During his tenure, Liberia experienced a period of prosperity. He also led a policy of national unification to reduce the social and political differences between his fellow Americo-Liberians and the indigenous Liberians.

Early life and family background

William Tubman was born on 29 November 1895, in Harper, which is located in southeastern Liberia. He was one of 5 children, who grew up poor. He was also a descendant of people who were formerly enslaved in the U.S. Tubman's grandfather, Alexander Tubman, was a stonemason, general in the Liberian army, and a former Speaker of the Liberian House of Representatives, as well as a Methodist preacher. Tubman's father was a strict disciplinarian. He required his five children to attend daily family prayer services, and to sleep on the floor because he thought beds were too soft and "degrading to character development". a widow and philanthropist in Augusta, Georgia.

Emily Tubman was instrumental in the manumission of enslaved African Americans and paying for their transportation to Liberia for "repatriation".

Education

William Tubman, the second son, and Harper County High School.

Early career

Tubman was soon appointed as a recorder in the Maryland County Monthly and Probate Court Identifying as the "Convivial Cannibal from the Downcoast Hinterlands," he fought for constitutional rights for the members of indigenous tribal groups, who comprised the overwhelming number of Liberians. Tubman was reelected to the national legislature in 1934; Tubman was elected president on 4 May 1943, at the age of 48, and was inaugurated 3 January 1944.

While the United States, its ally, began to base military operations in the country after it entered World War II, Liberia did not declare war on Germany and Japan until 27 January 1944. In April 1944, Liberia joined the Allied cause by signing the Declaration by United Nations.

Choosing to sever diplomatic relations with Germany and expel German citizens from Liberia was a difficult decision for Tubman for economic and social reasons: (1) German merchants were integral to the Liberian economy; (2) Germany was Liberia's major trading partner; and (3), most of the doctors in Liberia were Germans. Under the above declaration, Tubman agreed to expel all German residents and oppose the Axis powers.

Foreign relations

In foreign policy, Tubman aligned his country with the US, which he hailed as "Our strongest, closest, and most reliable friend." In June 1944, he and former president Edwin Barclay traveled to the White House as guests of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and became the first African heads of state to be received there. In 1959, Tubman organized the Second Conference of African States.

In 1951 the United States and Liberia signed a mutual agreement of defense.

thumb|Tubman in the [[Netherlands as president.]]

In 1957, the United States erected a Voice of America relay facility, one of several U.S. communications facilities to be placed on Liberian soil during the Cold War.

thumb|William Tubman 1962.

A U.S. Peace Corps program began in Liberia which would run until 1990 when Civil war broke out.

Tubman's government was critical of communism, and avoided establishing diplomatic relations with most of the communist countries (Yugoslavia, which was regarded highly by the Liberian government, was the lone exception); however, Liberia did exchange trade and goodwill missions with the Soviet Union and other Eastern European states.

Economic development

thumb|William Tubman and [[JFK at the White House in 1961]]

When Tubman was appointed to the Supreme Court in the 1930s, Liberia was seriously underdeveloped, lacking basic infrastructure of roads, railways, and sanitation systems. Tubman said that Liberia had never received the "benefits of colonization", by which he meant the investment by a wealthy major power to develop the infrastructure of the country. He established an economic policy, known as the "porte ouverte" ("open door"), to attract foreign investment. During Tubman's administration, several thousand kilometers of roads were built, as was a railway line to connect the iron mines to the coast for transport of this commodity for export.

Role in the Cold War

As World War II gave way to the Cold War, the United States viewed Liberia as an ideal post from which to fight the spread of communism through Africa. Under Tubman, Liberia voted with the U.S. on most key matters at the United Nations, albeit it sometimes sided with other African states, particularly on decolonization and anti-apartheid issues. Tubman gradually extended ties to the Soviet bloc, but he supported the United States on the Vietnam War, as did his successor, William R. Tolbert.

Assessment

His former ally and later political opponent S. David Coleman and his son John were hunted down and killed by Liberian soldiers for allegedly plotting to overthrow him. The Coleman funeral was poorly attended, as people were afraid of being seen as Coleman sympathizers. That same year the constitution was changed to allow Tubman to stay in office for more than two terms.

By the time Tubman died, Liberia had the largest mercantile fleet in the world.

References

External links

William V.S. Tubman University
William V.S. Tubman Photograph Collection, Indiana University Libraries