Rocheforte Lafayette Weeks (1923–1986) 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 academic, lawyer, and diplomat who served as president of the

University of Liberia The University of Liberia (UL or LU in older versions of abbreviation) is a publicly funded institution of higher learning located in Monrovia, Liberia. Authorized by the national government in 1851, the university opened in 1862 as Liberia Coll ...

and as Liberia's Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Life

Weeks was born on August 15, 1923, at

Crozerville Crozierville is a town in Montserrado County, Liberia, along the Saint Paul River. Crozierville is notable for being one of the few Americo-Liberian settlements founded by immigrants from the Caribbean, instead of the United States. The town is l ...

, the son of a Methodist minister. He was educated in Crozerville and White Plains before going to the preparatory department of

Liberia College The University of Liberia (UL or LU in older versions of abbreviation) is a publicly funded institution of higher learning located in Monrovia, Liberia. Authorized by the national government in 1851, the university opened in 1862 as Liberia Coll ...

and on to study for a BA at the College, graduating in 1944. From 1944 to 1949 he was Secretary to the Vice-President of Liberia. He then studied at

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, gaining an LL.B in 1952, and continuing to

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

in 1954. Weeks was secretary to Liberia's delegation to the Ninth Session of the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...

in 1954–5. He was a member of the Liberian Codification Commission in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

in 1955. Admitted to the Bar in

Montserrado Montserrado County is a county in the northwestern portion of the West African nation of Liberia containing its national capital, Monrovia. One of 15 counties that comprise the first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has 17 sub ...

in 1955, that year Weeks also began lecturing at the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law at the

. He was admitted to the Bar of the Supreme Court of Liberia in January 1956. He became President of the University of Liberia on April 6, 1959. As university president he participated in a range of international activities. He was special consultant to the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

Conference of Higher Education in 1961–2, a deputy member of the administrative board of the

International Association of Universities The International Association of Universities (IAU) is a membership-led non-governmental organization working in the field of higher education. It comprises more than 600 higher education institutions and organizations in over 130 countries. IAU ...

from 1965 to 1970, and president of the

International Association of University Presidents The International Association of University Presidents (IAUP) is an association of university chief executives from higher education institutions around the world. The IAUP was founded in 1964 in Oxford. Membership is limited to those individuals w ...

in 1971–2. In 1972 he gave up his university post to replace

Joseph Rudolph Grimes Joseph Rudolph Grimes (October 31, 1923 – September 7, 2007) was a Liberian statesman. A trained lawyer, he served as Secretary of State from 1960 to 1972. Early life Grimes was born on October 31, 1923, to Louis Arthur Grimes and Victoria ...

as Secretary of State (later renamed Minister of Foreign Affairs) under

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

William Tolbert William Richard Tolbert Jr. (13 May 1913 – 12 April 1980) was a Liberian politician who served as the 20th president of Liberia from 1971 until 1980. Tolbert was an Americo-Liberian and trained as a civil servant before entering the House of ...

. He held the post until July 1973, when he was replaced by

Cecil Dennis Charles Cecil Dennis Jr (February 21, 1931 – April 22, 1980) was a Liberian political figure who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs under President William Tolbert from 1973 until the 1980 Liberian coup d'état led by Samuel Doe. Along ...

. From 1973 to 1976, he was Managing Director of the Technico-Auriole Engineering Company. From 1976 to 1982, Weeks was the Special Maritime representative to the

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 ...

. He retired to Liberia, where he died in 1986.

References

External links

Dr Rocheforte Lafayette Weeks Life Sketch
1923 births 1986 deaths Liberian diplomats Foreign Ministers of Liberia Liberian educators Presidents of the University of Liberia Americo-Liberian people People of Americo-Liberian descent University of Liberia alumni Howard University alumni 20th-century Liberian lawyers Liberian expatriates in the United States {{Liberia-politician-stub