Joseph Jenkins Roberts

Joseph Jenkins Roberts
Roberts c. 1865
1st and 7th President of Liberia
In office
January 3, 1848 – January 7, 1856
Vice PresidentNathaniel Brander
Anthony D. Williams
Stephen Allen Benson
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byStephen Allen Benson
In office
January 1, 1872 – January 3, 1876
Vice PresidentAnthony W. Gardiner
Preceded byJames Skivring Smith
Succeeded byJames Spriggs Payne
2nd Governor of Liberia
In office
September 3, 1841 – January 3, 1848
Preceded byThomas Buchanan
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Personal details
Born(1809-03-15)March 15, 1809
Norfolk, Virginia, United States
DiedFebruary 24, 1876(1876-02-24) (aged 66)
Monrovia, Liberia
Resting placePalm Grove Cemetery
Monrovia
Political partyRepublican Party
Spouses
  • Sarah Roberts
    (m. 1828; died 1829)
  • (m. 1836)

Joseph Jenkins Roberts (March 15, 1809 – February 24, 1876) was an American merchant who emigrated to Liberia in 1829, where he became a politician. Elected as the first (1848–1856) and seventh (1872–1876) president of Liberia after independence, he was the first man of African descent to govern the country, serving previously as governor from 1841 to 1848. He later returned to office following the 1871 Liberian coup d'état. Born free in Norfolk, Virginia, Roberts emigrated as a young man with his mother, siblings, wife, and child to the young West African colony. He opened a trading firm in Monrovia and later engaged in politics.