Edward James Roye (February 3, 1815 – February 11, 1872) served as the fifth

president of Liberia The president of the Republic of Liberia is the head of state and government of Liberia. The president serves as the leader of the executive branch and as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Liberia. Prior to the independence of Liberia ...

from 1870 to his overthrow in 1871 and subsequent death. He had previously served as the fourth

Chief Justice of Liberia The chief justice of Liberia is the head of the judicial branch of the Government of the Republic of Liberia and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of Liberia. Appointment and term Article 54(c) of the Constitution stipulates that the chief ...

from 1865 until 1868. He was the first member of Liberia's True Whig Party to serve as president.

Early life

Born in 1815 in Newark, Ohio, Roye was a descendant of the

Igbo people The Igbo people ( , ; also spelled Ibo" and formerly also ''Iboe'', ''Ebo'', ''Eboe'', * * * ''Eboans'', ''Heebo''; natively ) are an ethnic group in Nigeria. They are primarily found in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo States. A ...

of present-day Nigeria.

Emigration to Liberia

In 1846, attracted by the American Colonization Society's promotion of the relocation of African Americans to the colony of Liberia in West Africa, Roye emigrated to the colony with his family at the age of 31. There he set up business as a merchant. The next year, the colony gained independence. Within three years of his arrival, Roye became active in Liberian politics, serving as a representative and

speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

(1849-1850) of the

Liberian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the bicameral legislative branch of Liberia, and together with the Senate comprises the Legislature of Liberia. The number of seats is fixed by law at 73, with each county being apportioned ...

, and as chief justice of the

Supreme Court of Liberia The Supreme Court of Liberia is the highest judicial body in the West African nation of Liberia. The court consists of the Chief Justice of Liberia, who is also the top Judiciary official, and four associate justices, who are nominated by the Pre ...

. He was also the Secretary of the Treasury.

Presidency (1870-71)

Roye was inaugurated as President of Liberia on January 3, 1870. In the decades after 1868, escalating economic difficulties weakened the state's dominance over the coastal indigenous tribal peoples. Conditions worsened, the cost of imports was far greater than the income generated by exports of its commodity crops of coffee, rice, palm oil, sugarcane, and timber. Liberia tried desperately to modernize its largely agricultural economy.

Financial problems

In 1871, Roye tasked the speaker of the House of Representatives,

William Spencer Anderson William Spencer Anderson (c. 1832 – 27 September 1872) was an African American politician and explorer in Liberia. Originally a barber, Anderson emigrated to Liberia at the age of 20 and within five years had inherited a sugar plantation. H ...

, with negotiating a new loan from British financiers. Anderson secured $500,000 under strict terms from the British consul-general, David Chinery, but was heavily criticised and eventually arrested. Anderson was apparently tried the following year for his part in securing the loan. He was found not guilty, but he was shot to death while leaving the courthouse.

End of presidency

Roye was removed from the presidency on October 26, 1871, in what some allies called a

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

. The circumstances surrounding his removal from office, however, remain murky and highly partisan. What is known is that he was jailed for several months following his ouster and soon died under equally mysterious circumstances. His unpopular loans with Britain as well as fears from the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

that he was planning to cancel the upcoming presidential election were among the reasons for his forced removal.

Death

No specific historical record is available about the date and circumstances of Roye's death. Varying accounts indicate that he was killed on February 11 or February 12, 1872. Another account suggests that he drowned on February 12, 1872, while trying to reach a British ship in

Monrovia Monrovia () is the capital city of the West African country of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2008 census had 1,010,970 residents, home to 29% of Liberia’s total population. As the ...

harbor. The portrait of President Roye in the gallery of the Presidential Mansion in

notes his date of death as February 11, 1872."E.J. Roye"
Liberia Past and Present

References

External links

Brief biographical sketch of Edward James Roye along with a portrait
* see also History of Liberia, external links {{DEFAULTSORT:Roye, Edward James 1815 births 1872 deaths American expatriates in Liberia Americo-Liberians of Igbo descent Chief justices of Liberia Igbo politicians Ohio University alumni Politicians from Newark, Ohio Presidents of Liberia Speakers of the House of Representatives of Liberia Finance Ministers of Liberia True Whig Party politicians Unsolved deaths 19th-century Liberian politicians 19th-century Liberian judges