William Spencer Anderson (c. 1832 – 27 September 1872) was an African American politician and explorer in

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 ...

. Originally a barber, Anderson emigrated to Liberia at the age of 20 and within five years had inherited a sugar plantation. He expanded the business and became the largest producer of sugar and coffee in Liberia. Entering politics with the True Whig Party Anderson was selected to be

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

of the House of Representatives from 1869 to 1871. He undertook an expedition to drive a road from Monrovia to

Moussodougou Moussodougou is a town in the Moussodougou Department of Comoé Province in south-western Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , ...

in what is now

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the ...

but he was forced to abandon the attempt. Returning to Monrovia, Anderson successfully negotiated a $500,000 loan for the government from British financiers. However he received criticism for the terms of the loan and was arrested. He was assassinated on 27 September 1872.

Early life

Born free in Wilmington, Delaware in 1832, Anderson worked as a barber and belonged to the Protestant Episcopal Church. Anderson emigrated to

in January 1853, at the age of 20, and inherited a large sugar plantation on the Saint Paul River in 1858. He expanded his estates and became the largest sugar and coffee producer in the country, traveling as far as

Bopolu Bopolu is the capital city of Gbarpolu County, Liberia, and is located 100 kilometers north of Monrovia. As of the 2008 census, Bopolu has a population of 2908. Of this, 1547 were male and 1361 female. Bopolu was once the center of the Kondo Con ...

to seek laborers for his plantations.

Politics

Anderson was a member of the dominant True Whig Party and was elected to the House of Representatives in 1869. He became Speaker of the House following the inauguration of

Edward James Roye Edward James Roye (February 3, 1815 – February 11, 1872) served as the fifth president of Liberia from 1870 to his overthrow in 1871 and subsequent death. He had previously served as the fourth Chief Justice of Liberia from 1865 until 1868. ...

in 1870. Roye commissioned Anderson to pioneer a more direct route to Moussodougou (in modern Burkina Faso) than that which had been previously used by explorer and politician Benjamin Anderson. Benjamin Anderson, who was then secretary of the treasury, was partly responsible for planning the venture. William Spencer Anderson left

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 ...

during the House's recess in May 1870 with a supply of trade goods, a number of ports, and an armed escort. Anderson was tasked with establishing a road, protected by a series of fortified posts, to link Monrovia and Moussodougou. He was authorised to purchase land and negotiate treaties with local tribes in order to facilitate this. Anderson reached Kpayekwele having brought some 150,000 people under Liberian control and purchased 250 square miles of land. He wrote back to Monrovia to say he was ending the expedition, claiming his "means are exhausted". He was likely referring to the prevention of his journey by warring local groups, though the delay may also have been caused by lack of resources, ill health, or political reasons. He returned to Monrovia in August with samples of trade goods. He was entrusted with the son of the chieftain of Kpayekwele to educate in Monrovia. In 1871 Anderson was tasked by Roye with negotiating a loan from British financiers. He managed to secure $500,000 through David Chinery, the British consul-general, but the terms of the loan were criticized for being unworkable, and Anderson was arrested. Anderson was killed in a shooting carried out by Jesse Sharp on 27 September 1872. Anderson was shot as he left a courthouse where a trial had just ended in his favor and the assassination was linked to politics, Roye having been recently ousted by his political opponents.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, William Spencer 1872 deaths People from Wilmington, Delaware Speakers of the House of Representatives of Liberia True Whig Party politicians Explorers of Africa Americo-Liberian people American emigrants to Liberia Deaths by firearm in Liberia Year of birth uncertain Assassinated Liberian politicians People murdered in Liberia 1872 murders in Africa