William David Coleman (July 18, 1842 – July 12, 1908) was an

Americo-Liberian Americo-Liberian people or Congo people or Congau people in Liberian English,Cooper, Helene, ''The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood'' (United States: Simon and Schuster, 2008), p. 6 are a Liberian ethnic group of Afric ...

politician. A

True Whig The True Whig Party (TWP), also known as the Liberian Whig Party (LWP), is the oldest political party in Liberia and one of the oldest parties in Africa. Founded in 1869 by primarily darker-skinned Americo-Liberians in rural areas, its historic ...

Party member, he served as the 13th

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 1896 to 1900. Born in

Fayette County, Kentucky Fayette County is located in the central part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 322,570, making it the second-most populous county in the commonwealth. Its territory, population and government are coextens ...

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 emigrated to Liberia in 1853. In 1877, he was elected to the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

and served as Speaker of the House of Representatives until 1879. Later he served in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and then as vice president before assuming the presidency when

Joseph James Cheeseman Joseph James Cheeseman (March 7, 1843 – November 12, 1896) was the 12th president of Liberia. Born at Edina in Grand Bassa County, he was elected three times on the True Whig ticket. Cheeseman was educated at Liberia College (now Univers ...

died in office.

Early life

mixed-race Mixed race people are people of more than one race or ethnicity. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mixed race people in a variety of contexts, including ''multiethnic'', ''polyethnic'', occasionally ''bi-ethn ...

background, Coleman was born a slave in

, in 1842. He emigrated to Liberia with his family when he was 11 years old. Upon their arrival, the family consisted of William, his widowed mother Ellen, and three others, all of whom settled in

Clay-Ashland Clay-Ashland is a township located from the capital city of Monrovia in Liberia. The town is in the St. Paul River District of Montserrado County. It is named after Henry Clay — a slaveowner and American Colonization Society co-founder who ...

near

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 ...

. Coleman trained as a carpenter and had other manual labor jobs before becoming a successful trader. Studying at night, he picked up the education he had abandoned as a child when poverty had prevented further schooling.

Political career

In 1877, he was elected to the House of Representatives to represent

Montserrado County 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 p ...

and became the Speaker of the House. Two years later Coleman was elected as a senator for the same county. He remained in the Senate until he was elected vice president alongside

on the

ticket in 1892. They were re-elected twice to the two-year presidential terms. Upon Cheeseman's death in 1896, Coleman ascended to the presidency, serving out Cheeseman's second term and winning two terms of his own.

Personal life

In 1896, Coleman married Ophelia Coleman, a native of

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

, United States, who emigrated to Liberia in 1895. On June 24, 1898, Ophelia died in the

Executive Mansion Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dire ...

in Monrovia.

Presidency (1896–1900)

In 1896, Coleman's predecessor, Joseph Cheeseman, became the first president in Liberian history to die in office. William Coleman centered his policies on three cornerstones: education, finances, and interior policy. As part of this policy he worked with his friend, Dr.

Edward Wilmot Blyden Edward Wilmot Blyden (3 August 1832 – 7 February 1912) was a Liberian educator, writer, diplomat, and politician who was primarily active in West Africa. Born in the Danish West Indies, he joined the waves of black immigrants from the ...

, to re-open

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 ...

in Monrovia. Other decisions included increasing the national government's power over the interior sections of the country, reorganizing the

customs Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...

service, and attempts to further advance resource extraction. Coleman was successful in establishing control over the interior region north and west of the

Saint Paul River The Saint Paul River is a river of western Africa. Its headwaters are in southeastern Guinea. Its upper portion in Guinea is known as the Diani River or Niandi River, and forms part of the boundary between Guinea and Liberia. It is known local ...

Opposition, resignation

As his term progressed, he faced gradually increasing opposition from the citizenry for his execution of policies concerning the interior and the native tribes. After a falling out with political allies and his own cabinet over his policies placed more pressure on his administration, he resigned from office in December 1900. Coleman's successor was his secretary of state,

Garretson W. Gibson Garretson Warner Gibson (May 20, 1832 – April 26, 1910) was the 14th president of Liberia from 1900 to 1904. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, his family emigrated to Liberia in 1845. After receiving an education in mission school ...

, since the vice president had already died in office. Under existing succession laws, Speaker of the House Robert H. Marshall should have become president, but some felt that he was unsuited for the position. As a result, the legislature repealed the 1873 succession law and gave the presidency to Gibson.

Later years

After resigning the presidency, Coleman continued to be an active player in Liberian politics. He ran for president three more times (1901, 1903, and 1905) as a member of the People's Party, losing each election. He died in 1908 in

at the age of 65. His grandson Samuel David Coleman was also involved in politics and was killed by government forces on June 27, 1955, after accusations of a failed coup.

Legacy

* The William D. Coleman High School in Clay-Ashland, Liberia was built in his memory. * William D. Coleman is survived by numerous descendants in Liberia and the Liberian diaspora (the Richards & Coleman Family). Notable members of the family include his descendants,

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

player

Noah Vonleh Noah Vonleh (born August 24, 1995) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers. High school career Vonl ...

and

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

player

Tevin Coleman Tevin Ford Coleman (born April 16, 1993) is an American football running back for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He played college fo ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, William D. Americo-Liberian people Presidents of Liberia Vice presidents of Liberia People from Fayette County, Kentucky 1842 births 1908 deaths Members of the Senate of Liberia Speakers of the House of Representatives of Liberia People from Montserrado County True Whig Party politicians 19th-century African-American people 19th-century Liberian politicians