On January 3, 1848, Joseph Jenkins Roberts was sworn in as the first president of the African state of Liberia. Born as a free black in Norfolk, Virginia, he was an American merchant who emigrated to Liberia in 1829, where he became a politician. He served as the first (1848 – 1856) and seventh (1872 – 1876) president of Liberia.
Categories
Joseph Jenkins Roberts
