Stephen Allen Tolbert (February 16, 1921April 29, 1975) was a Liberian politician and businessman.

Early life

Tolbert was born on February 16, 1921, in

Bensonville Bensonville is the capital city of Montserrado County, Liberia. As of the 2008 national census, its population stood at 4,089. Bensonville is located away from the national capital, Monrovia, which is also located in Montserrado County.Vick, Kar ...

, Liberia, the younger brother of William Tolbert. Tolbert received a high-school education from Liberia College and in 1941 received a B.A. from the institution. That same year, Tolbert held a chief position at the Division of Passports, and did so until 1943. In 1944, he furthered his education in the United States, first by attending Howard University, then the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, where he received a B.S. and M.S. in forestry.

Career

Tolbert served as chief of the division of forestry for the Liberian Department of Agriculture from 1948 to 1949. He then served as assistant secretary of agriculture from 1949 to 1957. He served as director of the school of forestry for the University of Liberia for two years, starting in 1959, before serving as the secretary of agriculture and commerce from 1960 to 1965. Tolbert, with his brother and the

vice president of Liberia The vice president of the Republic of Liberia is the second-highest executive official in Liberia, and one of only two elected executive offices along with the president. The vice president is elected on the same ticket with the president to a ...

William, founded the Mesurado Group of Companies, the first Liberian-owned multimillion-dollar company. It was a fishing enterprise, which expanded its scope as time went on. Tolbert established similar enterprises in

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

and

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. In 1969, Tolbert got into the shrimping industry. Other business interests of his included partial ownership of the Bank of Liberia as well as a diamond-exporting firm known as the Liberian American Mining Company. In 1972, Tolbert was appointed

minister of finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

. He resigned from his position at the Mesurado Group of Companies to accept this cabinet appointment. His appointment was controversial, as his brother was now president, and Tolbert's position was attained in large part due to this relation. Journalist

Albert Porte Albert Porte (19 January 1906 – 1986) was an Americo-Liberian political journalist and dissident who was the editor of the ''Crozerville Observer''. In 1946, he became the first Liberian journalist to be imprisoned by President William Tubman. ...

criticized Tolbert for using his public office to advance his business interest in the Mesurado Group of Companies in a 1974 broadside entitled ''Liberianization or Gobbling Business?''. Tolbert sued Porte on the charge of libel for a substantial sum of money, and while Tolbert won the suit, the outcry against the ruling led the founding of the first civil society organization in Liberia.

Death

On April 29, 1975, Tolbert as well as five other associates died in a plane crash after shortly after taking off from Greenville, Liberia, to attend a meeting.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tolbert, Stephen A. 1921 births 1975 deaths 20th-century Liberian politicians Academic staff of the University of Liberia Agriculture ministers Americo-Liberian people Commerce and industry ministers Finance Ministers of Liberia Liberian businesspeople People from Montserrado County University of Liberia alumni University of Michigan alumni Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1975 Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Africa Stephen A.