Alfred Francis Russell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 10th President of Liberia | |
| In office January 20, 1883 – January 7, 1884 | |
| Preceded by | Anthony William Gardiner |
| Succeeded by | Hilary R. W. Johnson |
| 11th Vice President of Liberia | |
| In office January 7, 1878 – January 20, 1883 | |
| President | Anthony William Gardiner |
| Preceded by | Charles Harmon |
| Succeeded by | James Thompson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 25, 1817 Lexington, Kentucky, United States |
| Died | April 4, 1884 (aged 66) Liberia |
| Political party | True Whig |
Alfred Francis Russell (August 25, 1817 – April 4, 1884) was an Americo-Liberian missionary, planter, and politician who served as tenth president of Liberia from 1883 to 1884 after serving as vice-president under Anthony William Gardiner, whom he succeeded as president.
Born in Lexington, Kentucky, Russell was emancipated in 1833 (with his mother Amelie "Milly" Crawford) by their mistress Mary Owen Todd Russell Wickliffe (Russell's grandmother through his white father). Wickliffe also emancipated his cousin, Lucretia Russell, and her four children. Both families emigrated together from the United States to Liberia that year. Alfred F. Russell later married and had a daughter by the name of Julia Ann, who later married John Douglas Simpson one of the first black congressmen from Florida, United States. They both had several children including Alpha Douglas Simpson, father of future Liberian vice president Clarence L. Simpson Sr. Alfred Russell served as a Methodist missionary and later owned a large coffee and sugarcane farm. Russell continued to serve as a Methodist minister after entering politics; he was also elected to the Liberian Senate, and served as President Pro Tempore of the Senate of Liberia.[1]
- ^ Dunn, D. Elwood (4 May 2011). The Annual Messages of the Presidents of Liberia 1848–2010: State of the Nation Addresses to the National Legislature. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 9783598441691 – via Google Books.