Who was Joseph Jenkins Roberts?

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Joseph Jenkins Roberts (1809–1876) was an American-born merchant and politician who became the first president of Liberia. Born in Virginia to free Black parents, he immigrated to the colony of Liberia in 1829, which had been established by the American Colonization Society.1

Roberts served as the colony's first Black governor starting in 1841. Following the proclamation of the republic in 1847, he was elected as its first president, serving from 1848 to 1856. During his tenure, he was instrumental in securing international recognition for Liberia as a sovereign nation from Great Britain and other European powers. After a period leading Liberia College, he returned to the presidency during a financial crisis, serving a second term from 1872 to 1876.1