Theophilus Ernest Eastman (normally written as T. Ernest or Ernest) (March 27, 1927 – February 28, 2011) was a

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

n diplomat, statesman and politician. A leading member of the young and dynamic foreign policy team at the

Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...

in the 1960s during the Tubman administration, he was a major architect of President Tubman's extensive involvement in

Pan-African Pan-Africanism is a worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all Indigenous and diaspora peoples of African ancestry. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atlantic slave trade, the movement exte ...

politics, serving first as Director of the Africa-Asia Bureau and then as Under-Secretary of State."Ernest Eastman is Dead". ''Daily Observer'' 2011-03-01: 1/10. In 1972, President Tolbert appointed him Ambassador to Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, resident in Nairobi, Kenya. He later served, from 1978 to 1983, as the second Secretary-General of the

Mano River Union The Mano River Union (MRU) is an international association initially established between Liberia and Sierra Leone by the 3 October 1973 Mano River Declaration. It is named for the Mano River which begins in the Guinea highlands and forms a border ...

. From 1983 to 1986, he was the

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

under dictator

Samuel Doe Samuel Kanyon Doe (6 May 1951 – 9 September 1990) was a Liberian politician who served as the 21st president of Liberia from 1980 to 1990. Doe ruled Liberia as Chairman of the People's Redemption Council (PRC) from 1980 to 1984 and then a ...

, succeeding

Henry Boimah Fahnbulleh Henry Boimah Fahnbulleh, Jr. (born July 16, 1949) is a Liberian politician and diplomat. He most recently served in the Liberian Government as National Security Advisor in the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf administration. Immediately previous to his app ...

and preceding John Bernard Blamo. President Charles Ghankay Taylor later appointed him to be the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs before returning him to the Foreign Ministry. He represented the

National Patriotic Party The National Patriotic Party (NPP) is a political party in Liberia. It was formed in 1997 by members of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia following the end of the First Liberian Civil War. History The party contested the 1997 general el ...

ECOWAS The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS; also known as in French and Portuguese) is a regional political and economic union of fifteen countries located in West Africa. Collectively, these countries comprise an area of , and in ...

-sponsored peace talks in

Banjul Banjul (,"Banjul"
(US) and ), officially the City of Ba ...

. After graduating from the

College of West Africa The College of West Africa is a Methodist high school in Monrovia, Liberia. The school was opened in 1839 (as the "Monrovia Seminary"), making it one of the oldest European-style schools in Africa. It has produced many of Liberia's leaders. Alumn ...

in 1947, Eastman went to the United States and attended

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

, from where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree. He later received a master's degree in international relations from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. He was married three times: first to Erelia Eastman, a fellow Columbia student; second to Danielette Norman, a Liberian; and third to Salma Mohammed Ali of Kenya. A lifelong

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

, he served for a time as one of the trustees of the First United Methodist Church of Monrovia.

References

1927 births 2011 deaths Foreign Ministers of Liberia Columbia University alumni Oberlin College alumni Liberian United Methodists 20th-century Methodists {{Liberia-politician-stub