Garretson Warner Gibson (May 20, 1832 – April 26, 1910) was the 14th

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 1900 to 1904. Born in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, his family emigrated to

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 ...

in 1845. After receiving an education in mission schools, he returned to Maryland to study theology. Ordained a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

, he served as rector of the

Episcopalian Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the l ...

Trinity Church 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 ...

. He also served as Chaplain of the Liberian Senate. Later, he served as President of the Trustee Board of Liberia College and at one time President of the college. Gibson began his political life as a justice of the peace. With the election of William D. Coleman as president in 1896, Gibson was appointed

secretary of the interior Secretary of the Interior may refer to: * Secretary of the Interior (Mexico) * Interior Secretary of Pakistan * Secretary of the Interior and Local Government (Philippines) * United States Secretary of the Interior See also

*Interior ministry ...

. He was secretary of state when Coleman resigned in 1900, and because there was no vice-president, Gibson was chosen to succeed him. He won his own term later that year and served until 1904. Gibson died in

on April 26, 1910. He was the last Liberian president to have been born in the United States.

Presidency (1900–1904)

Prior to attaining the presidency, Gibson had had a long career in government including serving as Secretary of the Interior and Secretary of State. In 1903, the British forced a concession of Liberian territory to Sierra Leone, but tension along that border remained high. Whenever the British and French seemed intent on enlarging at Liberia's expense the neighboring territories they already controlled, periodic appearances by U.S. warships helped discourage encroachment, even though successive American administrations rejected appeals from Monrovia for more forceful support.Liebenow, J. Gus, ''Liberia: the Quest for Democracy''. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1987

References

Sources

*Nathaniel R. Richardson, ''Liberia's Past and Present.'' London: The Diplomatic Press and Publishing Company, 1959.

External links

*See History of Liberia, external links {{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, Garretson Warner Americo-Liberian people 1832 births 1910 deaths Presidents of Liberia Liberian educators Presidents of the University of Liberia True Whig Party politicians Politicians from Baltimore Secretaries of the Interior (Liberia) Liberian Episcopalians Foreign ministers of Liberia American emigrants to Liberia African-American Episcopalians 19th-century American Episcopalians American Episcopal priests 19th-century African-American politicians 19th-century Liberian politicians 20th-century Liberian politicians 20th-century presidents in Africa

Presidency (1900–1904)

See also

References

Sources

Further reading

External links