Joseph Jenkins Roberts
| Joseph Jenkins Roberts | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 1st and 7th President of Liberia | |
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In office January 1, 1872 – January 3, 1876 |
|
| Vice President | Anthony W. Gardiner |
| Preceded by | James Skivring Smith |
| Succeeded by | James Spriggs Payne |
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In office January 3, 1848 – January 7, 1856 |
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| Vice President |
Nathaniel Brander Anthony D. Williams Stephen Allen Benson |
| Succeeded by | Stephen Allen Benson |
| 2nd Governor of Liberia | |
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In office September 3, 1841 – January 3, 1848 |
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| Preceded by | Thomas Buchanan |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
March 15, 1809 Norfolk, Virginia, United States |
| Died | February 24, 1876 (aged 66) Monrovia, Liberia |
| Political party | Republican Party |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah Roberts Jane Rose Waring |
Joseph Jenkins Roberts (March 15, 1809 – February 24, 1876) was the first (1848–1856) and seventh (1872–1876) President of Liberia. Born free in Norfolk, Virginia, US, Roberts emigrated to Liberia in 1829 as a young man. He opened a trading store in Monrovia, and later engaged in politics. When Liberia became independent in July 26, 1847, Roberts was elected the first Black American president for the Republic of Liberia, serving until 1856. In 1872 he was elected again to serve as Liberia's seventh president.
Roberts was born free in Norfolk, Virginia, the second oldest of seven children. His father was said to be a planter of Welsh origin. Joseph's mother Amelia, described as a mulatto who was quite fair, was the planter's slave mistress or concubine. He freed Amelia and her children when she was still young. Amelia gave all of her children but one the middle name of Jenkins, which suggests that may have been the name of their biological father.
Once free, Amelia married James Roberts, a free black. Roberts gave her children his surname and raised them as his own. Roberts owned a boating business on the James River. By the time of his death, he had acquired substantial wealth for an African-American of those times.
Joseph Roberts and his siblings by the planter were estimated to be seven-eighths European in ancestry. As the Liberian historian Abayomi Karnga noted in 1926, "He was not really black; he was an octoroon and could have easily passed for a white man." As a boy, Joseph began to work in his stepfather's business, handling goods on a flatboat that transported materials from Petersburg to Norfolk on the James River. The family moved to Petersburg, which was an industrial city. Shortly after the move, the stepfather James Roberts died. Joseph continued to work in his family's business, but also served as an apprentice in a barber shop. The owner of the barber shop, William Colson, was also a minister and one of Virginia's best-educated black residents. He gave Roberts access to his private library, which provided much of the youth's early education.
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