Joseph Jenkins Roberts
Encyclopedia
Joseph Jenkins Roberts (March 15, 1809 – February 24, 1876) was the first (1848–1856) and seventh (1872–1876) President of Liberia
. Born free in Norfolk
, Virginia
, USA, Roberts emigrated to Liberia in 1829 as a young man. He opened a trading store in Monrovia
, and later engaged in politics. When Liberia became independent in 1847, Roberts was elected the first president, serving until 1856. In 1872 he was elected again to serve as Liberia's seventh president.
, Virginia
, the second oldest of seven children. His father was said to be a planter of Welsh
origin. Joseph's mother Amelia, described as a mulatto
who was quite fair, was the planter's slave mistress or concubine. He freed Amelia and her children when she was still young. Amelia gave all of her children but one the middle name of Jenkins, which suggests that may have been the name of their biological father.
Once free, Amelia married James Roberts, a free black
. Roberts gave his children his surname and raised them as his own. Roberts owned a boating business on the James River
. By the time of his death, he had acquired substantial wealth for an African American
of those times.
Joseph Roberts and his siblings by the planter were estimated to be seven-eighths European
in ancestry. As the Liberian historian Abayomi Karnga noted in 1926, "He was not really black; he was an octoroon
and could have easily passed for a white man." As a boy, Joseph began to work in his stepfather's business, handling goods on a flatboat
that transported materials from Petersburg
to Norfolk on the James River
. The family moved to Petersburg, which was an industrial city. Shortly after the move, the stepfather James Roberts died. Joseph continued to work in his family's business, but also served as an apprentice in a barber shop. The owner of the barber shop, William Colson, was also a minister and one of Virginia's best-educated black residents. He gave Roberts access to his private library, which provided much of the youth's early education.
. Both Sarah and the child died in the first year in the colony.
Some time after his wife's death, Roberts married again, to Jane Rose Waring. She was a daughter of Colston Waring and Harriet Graves, Virginians who had also migrated to the colony.
After hearing of the plans of the American Colonization Society to colonize the African coast at Cape Mesurado
near modern-day Monrovia
, Roberts decided to join an expedition. The restrictions in Virginia on free Negroes played an important part in his decision. The Roberts family was strongly religious and they felt called to evangelize the indigenous people of Africa. On February 9, 1829 they sailed for Africa on the Harriet. along with his mother and five of his six siblings. Travelling the same ship was James Spriggs Payne
, who would later become Liberia's fourth president.
Once in Monrovia, Roberts and two of his brothers established a business with the help of their friend William Colson of Petersburg. The company exported palm
products, camwood, and ivory
to the United States, and traded imported American goods at the company store in Monrovia. In 1835, Colson emigrated to Liberia, but died shortly after his arrival. Expanding into coastal trade, the Roberts family became successful members of the local establishment. During this time, Joseph's brother John Wright Roberts entered the ministry of the Liberia Methodist Church, founded by Americans. Later he became a bishop. After starting as a trader, the youngest son, Henry Roberts, studied medicine at the Berkshire Medical School (now part of the University of Massachusetts Medical School
) in Massachusetts. Joseph Roberts was successful enough to pay for his brother's studies. Henry returned to Liberia to work as a physician.
In 1833, Joseph Roberts became high sheriff
of the colony. One of his responsibilities was to organize militias to travel to the interior to collect taxes from the indigenous peoples and put down their rebellions against colonial rule. In 1839, the American Colonization Society appointed Roberts vice governor. Two years later, after the death of governor Thomas Buchanan
, Roberts was appointed as the first mixed-race (considered black) governor of Liberia. In 1846, Roberts asked the legislature to declare the independence of Liberia, but also to maintain cooperation with the American Colonization Society. The legislature called for a referendum, in which voters chose independence. On July 26, 1847, Roberts declared Liberia independent. He won the first presidential election on October 5, 1847, and was sworn into office on January 3, 1848, with Stephen Allen Benson
as vice president.
Attempts to found a state based upon some 3000 settlers proved difficult. Some coastal tribes convert
ed to Christianity
and learned English, but most of the indigenous Africans retained their traditional religion and language. The slave trade continued illicitly from Liberian ports, but the British Navy finally closed it down in the 1850s.
to meet Queen Victoria
and other heads of state. Great Britain
was the first country to recognize Liberia, followed by France in 1848 or 1852 (accounts differ). In 1849, the German cities of Hamburg
, Bremen
and Lübeck recognized the new nation, as did Portugal
, Brazil
, the Kingdom of Sardinia
and the Austrian Empire
. Norway
and Sweden
did so in either 1849 or 1863, Haiti
in either 1849 or 1864, Denmark
in either 1849 or 1869 (accounts differ).
The United States withheld recognition until 1862, during the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. Reportedly, the government feared that the southern congressmen would not accept a black ambassador in Washington, D.C.
declared in 1854 its independence from the Maryland State Colonization Society but did not become part of the Republic of Liberia. It held the land along the coast between the Grand Cess and San Pedro Rivers. In 1856, the independent state of Maryland (Africa)
requested military aid from Liberia in a war with the Grebo and Kru peoples. They were resisting the Maryland colonists' efforts to control their trade. Roberts assisted the Marylanders, and a joint military campaign by the two groups of African-American colonists resulted in victory. In 1857, the Republic of Maryland
joined Liberia as Maryland County
.
During his presidency, Roberts expanded the borders of Liberia along the coast and made attempts to integrate the indigenous people of Monrovia
into the Republic. By 1860, through treaties and purchases with local African leaders, Liberia extended its boundaries to include a 600-mile (1000 km) coastline.
). During these early years, agriculture, shipbuilding, and trade flourished.
After his first presidency, Roberts served for fifteen years as a major general in the Liberian army, as well as a diplomatic representative in France and Great Britain. In 1862, he helped to found and became the first president of Liberia College
in Monrovia, where he served as president until 1876. Roberts frequently traveled to the United States to raise funds for the college. Until his death he held a professorship in jurisprudence and international law.
was deposed by elements loyal to the Republican Party
on the grounds that he was planning to cancel the upcoming elections. Roberts, one of the Republican Party's leaders, won the ensuing presidential election and thus returned to office in 1872. He served for two terms until 1876. While he was incapacitated by illness from 1875 until early 1876, Vice-President Anthony W. Gardiner
was acting president.
In the decades after 1868, escalating economic difficulties weakened the state's dominance over the coastal indigenous population. Conditions worsened—the cost of imports was far greater than the income generated by exports of coffee, rice, palm oil, sugarcane, and timber. Liberia tried desperately to modernize its largely agricultural economy.
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
. Born free in Norfolk
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, USA, Roberts emigrated to Liberia in 1829 as a young man. He opened a trading store in Monrovia
Monrovia
Monrovia is the capital city of the West African nation of Liberia. Located on the Atlantic Coast at Cape Mesurado, it lies geographically within Montserrado County, but is administered separately...
, and later engaged in politics. When Liberia became independent in 1847, Roberts was elected the first president, serving until 1856. In 1872 he was elected again to serve as Liberia's seventh president.
Early life
Roberts was born free in NorfolkNorfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, the second oldest of seven children. His father was said to be a planter of Welsh
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
origin. Joseph's mother Amelia, described as a mulatto
Mulatto
Mulatto denotes a person with one white parent and one black parent, or more broadly, a person of mixed black and white ancestry. Contemporary usage of the term varies greatly, and the broader sense of the term makes its application rather subjective, as not all people of mixed white and black...
who was quite fair, was the planter's slave mistress or concubine. He freed Amelia and her children when she was still young. Amelia gave all of her children but one the middle name of Jenkins, which suggests that may have been the name of their biological father.
Once free, Amelia married James Roberts, a free black
Free Negro
A free Negro or free black is the term used prior to the abolition of slavery in the United States to describe African Americans who were not slaves. Almost all African Americans came to the United States as slaves, but from the earliest days of American slavery, slaveholders set men and women free...
. Roberts gave his children his surname and raised them as his own. Roberts owned a boating business on the James River
James River (Virginia)
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...
. By the time of his death, he had acquired substantial wealth for an African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
of those times.
Joseph Roberts and his siblings by the planter were estimated to be seven-eighths European
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
in ancestry. As the Liberian historian Abayomi Karnga noted in 1926, "He was not really black; he was an octoroon
Quadroon
Quadroon, and the associated words octoroon and quintroon are terms that, historically, were applied to define the ancestry of people of mixed-race, generally of African and Caucasian ancestry, but also, within Australia, to those of Aboriginal and Caucasian ancestry...
and could have easily passed for a white man." As a boy, Joseph began to work in his stepfather's business, handling goods on a flatboat
Flatboat
Fil1800flatboat.jpgA flatboat is a rectangular flat-bottomed boat with Fil1800flatboat.jpgA flatboat is a rectangular flat-bottomed boat with Fil1800flatboat.jpgA flatboat is a rectangular flat-bottomed boat with (mostlyNOTE: "(parenthesized)" wordings in the quote below are notes added to...
that transported materials from Petersburg
Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States located on the Appomattox River and south of the state capital city of Richmond. The city's population was 32,420 as of 2010, predominantly of African-American ethnicity...
to Norfolk on the James River
James River
The James River may refer to:Rivers in the United States and their namesakes* James River * James River , North Dakota, South Dakota* James River * James River * James River...
. The family moved to Petersburg, which was an industrial city. Shortly after the move, the stepfather James Roberts died. Joseph continued to work in his family's business, but also served as an apprentice in a barber shop. The owner of the barber shop, William Colson, was also a minister and one of Virginia's best-educated black residents. He gave Roberts access to his private library, which provided much of the youth's early education.
Marriage and family
In 1828 Roberts married an 18-year-old woman named Sarah. They had an infant child whom they took with them when they emigrated to Liberia, under the auspices of the American Colonization SocietyAmerican Colonization Society
The American Colonization Society , founded in 1816, was the primary vehicle to support the "return" of free African Americans to what was considered greater freedom in Africa. It helped to found the colony of Liberia in 1821–22 as a place for freedmen...
. Both Sarah and the child died in the first year in the colony.
Some time after his wife's death, Roberts married again, to Jane Rose Waring. She was a daughter of Colston Waring and Harriet Graves, Virginians who had also migrated to the colony.
Immigrating to Liberia
Cape Mesurado
Cape Mesurado is a headland on the coast of Liberia near the capital Monrovia and the mouth of the Saint Paul River. It was named Cape Mesurado by Portuguese sailors in the 1560s...
near modern-day Monrovia
Monrovia
Monrovia is the capital city of the West African nation of Liberia. Located on the Atlantic Coast at Cape Mesurado, it lies geographically within Montserrado County, but is administered separately...
, Roberts decided to join an expedition. The restrictions in Virginia on free Negroes played an important part in his decision. The Roberts family was strongly religious and they felt called to evangelize the indigenous people of Africa. On February 9, 1829 they sailed for Africa on the Harriet. along with his mother and five of his six siblings. Travelling the same ship was James Spriggs Payne
James Spriggs Payne
James Spriggs Payne served as the fourth and eighth President of Liberia from 1868 to 1870 and 1876 to 1878. He was the last President to belong to Liberia's Republican Party.-Early life:...
, who would later become Liberia's fourth president.
Once in Monrovia, Roberts and two of his brothers established a business with the help of their friend William Colson of Petersburg. The company exported palm
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
products, camwood, and ivory
Ivory
Ivory is a term for dentine, which constitutes the bulk of the teeth and tusks of animals, when used as a material for art or manufacturing. Ivory has been important since ancient times for making a range of items, from ivory carvings to false teeth, fans, dominoes, joint tubes, piano keys and...
to the United States, and traded imported American goods at the company store in Monrovia. In 1835, Colson emigrated to Liberia, but died shortly after his arrival. Expanding into coastal trade, the Roberts family became successful members of the local establishment. During this time, Joseph's brother John Wright Roberts entered the ministry of the Liberia Methodist Church, founded by Americans. Later he became a bishop. After starting as a trader, the youngest son, Henry Roberts, studied medicine at the Berkshire Medical School (now part of the University of Massachusetts Medical School
University of Massachusetts Medical School
The University of Massachusetts Medical School is one of five campuses of the University of Massachusetts system and is home to three schools: the School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, the Graduate School of Nursing; a biomedical research enterprise; and a range of...
) in Massachusetts. Joseph Roberts was successful enough to pay for his brother's studies. Henry returned to Liberia to work as a physician.
In 1833, Joseph Roberts became high sheriff
High Sheriff
A high sheriff is, or was, a law enforcement officer in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.In England and Wales, the office is unpaid and partly ceremonial, appointed by the Crown through a warrant from the Privy Council. In Cornwall, the High Sheriff is appointed by the Duke of...
of the colony. One of his responsibilities was to organize militias to travel to the interior to collect taxes from the indigenous peoples and put down their rebellions against colonial rule. In 1839, the American Colonization Society appointed Roberts vice governor. Two years later, after the death of governor Thomas Buchanan
Thomas Buchanan (Governor of Liberia)
Thomas Buchanan was the second governor of Liberia and a cousin of James Buchanan, President of the United States. He came to Liberia as the envoy of the American Colonization Society in the 1830s. He worked first as an administrator in Grand Bassa, which later had its capital named Buchanan in...
, Roberts was appointed as the first mixed-race (considered black) governor of Liberia. In 1846, Roberts asked the legislature to declare the independence of Liberia, but also to maintain cooperation with the American Colonization Society. The legislature called for a referendum, in which voters chose independence. On July 26, 1847, Roberts declared Liberia independent. He won the first presidential election on October 5, 1847, and was sworn into office on January 3, 1848, with Stephen Allen Benson
Stephen Allen Benson
Stephen Allen Benson served as the 2nd President of Liberia from 1856 to 1864. Prior to that, he served as the 3rd Vice President of Liberia from 1854 to 1856 under President Joseph Jenkins Roberts....
as vice president.
First presidency (1847-1856)
Roberts was re-elected three more times to serve a total of eight years, until he lost the election in 1855 to the vice president Benson.Attempts to found a state based upon some 3000 settlers proved difficult. Some coastal tribes convert
Convert
The convert or try, in American football known as "point after", and Canadian football "Point after touchdown", is a one-scrimmage down played immediately after a touchdown during which the scoring team is allowed to attempt to score an extra one point by kicking the ball through the uprights , or...
ed to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and learned English, but most of the indigenous Africans retained their traditional religion and language. The slave trade continued illicitly from Liberian ports, but the British Navy finally closed it down in the 1850s.
Foreign relations
Roberts spent the first year of his presidency attempting to attain recognition from European countries and the United States. In 1848 he traveled to EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
to meet Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
and other heads of state. Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
was the first country to recognize Liberia, followed by France in 1848 or 1852 (accounts differ). In 1849, the German cities of Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
and Lübeck recognized the new nation, as did Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, the Kingdom of Sardinia
Kingdom of Sardinia
The Kingdom of Sardinia consisted of the island of Sardinia first as a part of the Crown of Aragon and subsequently the Spanish Empire , and second as a part of the composite state of the House of Savoy . Its capital was originally Cagliari, in the south of the island, and later Turin, on the...
and the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
. Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
did so in either 1849 or 1863, Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
in either 1849 or 1864, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
in either 1849 or 1869 (accounts differ).
The United States withheld recognition until 1862, during the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. Reportedly, the government feared that the southern congressmen would not accept a black ambassador in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Relations with indigenous groups; expansion
Maryland ColonyRepublic of Maryland
The Republic of Maryland was a small African American nation which existed from 1854 to 1857, when it was united into what is now Liberia....
declared in 1854 its independence from the Maryland State Colonization Society but did not become part of the Republic of Liberia. It held the land along the coast between the Grand Cess and San Pedro Rivers. In 1856, the independent state of Maryland (Africa)
Republic of Maryland
The Republic of Maryland was a small African American nation which existed from 1854 to 1857, when it was united into what is now Liberia....
requested military aid from Liberia in a war with the Grebo and Kru peoples. They were resisting the Maryland colonists' efforts to control their trade. Roberts assisted the Marylanders, and a joint military campaign by the two groups of African-American colonists resulted in victory. In 1857, the Republic of Maryland
Republic of Maryland
The Republic of Maryland was a small African American nation which existed from 1854 to 1857, when it was united into what is now Liberia....
joined Liberia as Maryland County
Maryland County
Maryland County is a county in the southeastern portion of the West African nation of Liberia. One of 15 counties that comprise the first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has two districts. Harper serves as the capital with the area of the county measuring...
.
During his presidency, Roberts expanded the borders of Liberia along the coast and made attempts to integrate the indigenous people of Monrovia
Monrovia
Monrovia is the capital city of the West African nation of Liberia. Located on the Atlantic Coast at Cape Mesurado, it lies geographically within Montserrado County, but is administered separately...
into the Republic. By 1860, through treaties and purchases with local African leaders, Liberia extended its boundaries to include a 600-mile (1000 km) coastline.
Economy, nation building
The settlers built schools and Liberia College (which later became the University of LiberiaUniversity of Liberia
The University of Liberia is a publicly funded institution of higher learning located in Monrovia, Liberia. Authorized by the national government in 1851, the school opened in 1863 as Liberia College and became a university in 1951. The school is one of the oldest institutions of higher learning...
). During these early years, agriculture, shipbuilding, and trade flourished.
Assessment
Roberts has been described as a talented leader with diplomatic skills. His leadership was instrumental in giving Liberia independence and sovereignty. Later in his career, his diplomatic skills helped him to deal effectively with the indigenous people and to maneuver in the complex field of international law and relations.Between presidencies
University of Liberia
The University of Liberia is a publicly funded institution of higher learning located in Monrovia, Liberia. Authorized by the national government in 1851, the school opened in 1863 as Liberia College and became a university in 1951. The school is one of the oldest institutions of higher learning...
in Monrovia, where he served as president until 1876. Roberts frequently traveled to the United States to raise funds for the college. Until his death he held a professorship in jurisprudence and international law.
Second presidency (1872-1876)
In 1871, president Edward James RoyeEdward James Roye
Edward James Roye served as the fifth President of Liberia from 1870 to his overthrow and subsequent violent death in 1871. He had previously served as the 4th Chief Justice of Liberia from 1865 until 1868...
was deposed by elements loyal to the Republican Party
Republican Party (Liberia)
The Republican Party of Liberia was a political party founded soon after the founding of Liberia in 1848. It was known to be made up primarily of Americo-Liberians who had mixed African and European ancestry...
on the grounds that he was planning to cancel the upcoming elections. Roberts, one of the Republican Party's leaders, won the ensuing presidential election and thus returned to office in 1872. He served for two terms until 1876. While he was incapacitated by illness from 1875 until early 1876, Vice-President Anthony W. Gardiner
Anthony W. Gardiner
Anthony William Gardner served as the ninth President of Liberia from 1878 until 1883. He was the first of a series of True Whig presidents who held power uninterruptedly until 1980....
was acting president.
In the decades after 1868, escalating economic difficulties weakened the state's dominance over the coastal indigenous population. Conditions worsened—the cost of imports was far greater than the income generated by exports of coffee, rice, palm oil, sugarcane, and timber. Liberia tried desperately to modernize its largely agricultural economy.
Inheritance and legacy
Roberts died on February 24, 1876, less than two months after his second term had ended. In his testament, he left $10,000 and his estate to the educational system of Liberia.- Liberia's main airport, Roberts International AirportRoberts International Airport-Accidents and incidents:*On 5 March 1967: Varig flight 837, a Douglas DC-8-33 registration PP-PEA flying from Rome-Fiumicino to Rio de Janeiro-Galeão via Roberts International Airport, caught fire after a mistaken approach to Monrovia, missing the threshold of the runway by 6,023 ft...
, the town of RobertsportRobertsportRobertsport, also known as Roberts Port and Robert's Port, is a town in western Liberia, about 10 miles from the Sierra Leone border. It is named after Joseph Jenkins Roberts, the first president of Liberia....
and Roberts Street in Monrovia are named in honor of Roberts. - His face is depicted on the Liberian ten dollar bill introduced in 1997, and the old five dollar bill in circulation between 1989 and 1991.
- His birthday, March 15, is a national holiday in Liberia.