William D. Coleman (Politician)
| William D. Coleman | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 13th President of Liberia | |
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In office November 12, 1896 – December 11, 1900 |
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| Vice President | Joseph J. Ross |
| Preceded by | Joseph James Cheeseman |
| Succeeded by | Garretson W. Gibson |
| 13th Vice President of Liberia | |
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In office January 4, 1892 – November 12, 1896 |
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| President | Joseph James Cheeseman |
| Preceded by | James Thompson |
| Succeeded by | Joseph J. Ross |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 18, 1842 Fayette County, Kentucky, United States |
| Died | July 12, 1908 (aged 65) Clay-Ashland, Liberia |
| Political party | True Whig |
William David Coleman (July 18, 1842 – July 12, 1908) was an American-born Liberian politician. A True Whig Party member, he was the 13th President of Liberia, serving from 1896 to 1900. Immigrating to Liberia in 1853, he worked his way up to election to the House of Representatives and served as Speaker of the House. Later he served in the Senate and then as Vice President before assuming the Presidency when Joseph James Cheeseman died in office.
Coleman was born in Fayette County, Kentucky, and he emigrated to Liberia with his family when he was 11 years old. Arriving in 1853, the family consisted of William, his now widowed mother, and three others, all settling in Clay-Ashland near Monrovia. Coleman was trained as a carpenter and had other manual labor jobs before becoming a successful trader. Studying at night, he picked up the education he had abandoned as a child when poverty had prevented further schooling.
In 1877, he was elected to the House of Representatives to represent Montserrado County, and became the Speaker of the House. Two years later Coleman was elected as a Senator for the same county. He remained in the Senate until he was elected Vice President under Joseph James Cheeseman on the True Whig ticket in 1892. They were re-elected twice to the two-year presidential term, and Coleman became president when President Cheeseman died in office in 1896.
Cheeseman was the first President of Liberia to die in office, with his death late in 1896. Coleman finished Cheeseman's term and then won a full term in the office as well as re-election. William Coleman centered his policies on three cornerstones: education, finances, and interior policy. As part of this policy he worked with Dr. Edward Wilmot Blyden to re-open Liberia College in Monrovia. Other decisions included increasing the national government's power over the interior sections of the country, reorganizing the customs service, and attempts to further advance resource extraction. Coleman was successful in establishing control over the interior region north and west of the Saint Paul River.
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