List of Liberian foreign ministers
Encyclopedia
Below is a list of the foreign ministers of Liberia
. The minister was known as the Secretary of State until 1972.
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...
. The minister was known as the Secretary of State until 1972.
Secretaries of State
- Hilary Teage, 1848-1850
- John N. Lewis, 1850-1854
- Daniel Bashiel WarnerDaniel Bashiel WarnerDaniel Bashiel Warner served as the 3rd President of Liberia from 1864 to 1868. Prior to this, he served as the 5th Vice President of Liberia under President Stephen Allen Benson from 1860 to 1864, and as the 3rd Secretary of State in the cabinet of Joseph Jenkins Roberts from 1854 to...
, 1854-1856 - James Skivring SmithJames Skivring SmithJames Skivring Smith served as the 6th President of Liberia from 1871 to 1872. Prior to this, he served as the 8th Vice President of Liberia from 1870 to 1871 under President Edward James Roye and as Secretary of State from 1856 to 1860 in the cabinet of President Stephen Allen Benson.Smith was...
, 1856-1860 - Edward Wilmot BlydenEdward Wilmot BlydenEdward Wilmot Blyden was an Americo-Liberian educator, writer, diplomat, and politician primarily in Liberia. He also taught for five years in Sierra Leone, and his writings were influential in both countries....
, 1860-1862 - J. W. Blacklege, 1862-1864
- James E. Moore, 1864-1871
- Hilary R. W. JohnsonHilary R. W. JohnsonHilary Richard Wright Johnson served as the 11th President of Liberia from 1884 to 1892. He was elected four times. He served as Secretary of State before his presidency, under the administration of Edward James Roye....
, 1871-1874 - W. A. Johnson, 1874-1878
- Edward Wilmot BlydenEdward Wilmot BlydenEdward Wilmot Blyden was an Americo-Liberian educator, writer, diplomat, and politician primarily in Liberia. He also taught for five years in Sierra Leone, and his writings were influential in both countries....
, 1878-1888 - William M. Davies, 1888-1890
- Ernest J. Barclay, 1890-1892
- Arthur BarclayArthur BarclayArthur Barclay was the 15th President of Liberia, serving from 1904 to 1912.-Early life and education:Barclay was born at Bridgetown, Barbados, on July 31, 1854, the tenth of twelve children of Anthony and Sarah Barclay...
, 1892 (acting) - Garretson W. GibsonGarretson W. GibsonGarretson Wilmot Gibson was the 14th President of Liberia from 11 December 1900, to 4 January 1904. Born in Maryland, in the United States, his family emigrated to Liberia in 1835. After receiving an education in mission schools, he returned to Maryland to study theology...
, 1892-1900 - Walter vanDyke Gibson, 1900-1904
- Hilary Wilmot Travis, 1904-1908
- F. E. R. Johnson, 1908-1912
- Charles D. B. KingCharles D. B. KingCharles Dunbar Burgess King was a politician in Liberia of Freetown Creole descent . He was a member of the True Whig Party, which ruled the country from 1878 until 1980...
, 1912–1920 - Edwin BarclayEdwin BarclayEdwin James Barclay was a Liberian politician. A member of the True Whig political party, he served as the 18th President of the country from 1930 until 1944. Under his leadership, Liberia was an ally of the United States during World War II....
, 1920–1930 - Louis Arthur GrimesLouis Arthur GrimesLouis Arthur Grimes served as the 10th Chief Justice of Liberia and is considered one of the most important jurists in the history of Liberia. He was appointed Attorney General by President Charles D. B. King and served in this position from 1922 to 1932 when he was appointed Secretary of State by...
, 1930–1934 - Clarence Lorenzo SimpsonClarence Lorenzo SimpsonClarence Lorenzo Simpson was a politician in Liberia. He was Secretary of State during much of World War II under President Edwin Barclay....
, 1934–1943 - Gabriel Lafayette DennisGabriel Lafayette DennisGabriel Lafayette Dennis was a politician in Liberia. He and Louis Arthur Grimes were Liberia's primary delegates to the League of Nations 15th assembly in 1932. In 1944, as World War II was ending, Dennis became foreign minister under President William Tubman. He lasted in that position until 1953....
, 1944–1953 - Momolu DukulyMomolu DukulyMomolu Dukuly was a politician in Liberia. He was the second foreign minister under William V.S. Tubman . Dukuly was the first "Native" Liberian to be appointed foreign minister. Dukuly was of Mandingo descent. He was a Muslim in his early life...
, 1954–1960 - Joseph Rudolph GrimesJoseph Rudolph GrimesJoseph Rudolph Grimes was a leading politician in Liberia. A trained lawyer, he served as Secretary of state from 1960 to 1971.-Early life:...
, 1960–1972
Ministers of Foreign Affairs
- Rocheforte Lafayette WeeksRocheforte Lafayette WeeksRocheforte Lafayette Weeks was a politician, diplomat and university president in Liberia. Weeks was the Secretary of Liberian Delegation to the United Nations General Assembly in 1954 and 1955. From 1960 to 1972, Weeks was President of the University of Liberia and from 1961 until 1972, he was...
, 1972–1973 - Charles Cecil DennisCharles Cecil DennisCharles Cecil Dennis was a Liberian political figure who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs under President William Tolbert from 1973 until the coup d'état by Samuel Doe on April 12, 1980...
, 1973–1980 - Gabriel Baccus MatthewsGabriel Baccus MatthewsGabriel Baccus Matthews was a Liberian politician. He was the leader of the Progressive Alliance of Liberia and the United People's Party and served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Liberia twice....
, 1980–1981 - Henry Boimah FahnbullehHenry Boimah FahnbullehHenry Boimah Fahnbulleh is a Liberian politician and diplomat. He is the Liberian Government's current National Security Advisor in the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf administration. Immediately previous to his appointment as National Security Advisor, he served as Advisor on International Affairs in the...
, 1981–1983 - Ernest EastmanErnest EastmanTheophilus Ernest Eastman was a politician in Liberia. He served as foreign minister of Liberia from 1983 to 1986 under dictator Samuel Doe. He was preceded by Henry Boimah Fahnbulleh and replaced by John Bernard Blamo.Eastman was a graduate of Oberlin College and Columbia University....
, 1983–1986 - John Bernard BlamoJohn Bernard BlamoJohn Bernard Blamo is a former politician in Liberia. He was foreign minister under Samuel Doe in 1986 and 1987. He was preceded by Ernest Eastman and replaced by J. Rudolph Johnson.-References:...
, 1986–1987 - Joseph Rudolph Johnson, 1987–1990
- Gabriel Baccus MatthewsGabriel Baccus MatthewsGabriel Baccus Matthews was a Liberian politician. He was the leader of the Progressive Alliance of Liberia and the United People's Party and served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Liberia twice....
, 1990–1993 - Momolu SirleafMomolu SirleafMomolu Sirleaf served as foreign minister of Liberia twice during the First Liberian Civil War, from 1993 to 1994 and from 1995 to 1996.-References:...
, 1993–1994 - Dorothy Musuleng-Cooper, 1994–1995
- Momolu SirleafMomolu SirleafMomolu Sirleaf served as foreign minister of Liberia twice during the First Liberian Civil War, from 1993 to 1994 and from 1995 to 1996.-References:...
, 1995–1996 - Monie CaptanMonie CaptanMonie Ralph Captan was the foreign minister of Liberia from 1996 until 2003, former of Presidential Affairs 1996. During most of that time he served under President Charles Taylor. Captan's mother was a native of Liberia and his father was Lebanese...
, 1996–2003 - Lewis BrownLewis BrownLewis Brown is a former politician in Liberia. He was interim foreign minister of Liberia in 2003 under President Charles Taylor. Brown was preceded by Monie Captan and replaced by Thomas Nimely.-References:...
, 2003 - Thomas NimelyThomas NimelyThomas Yaya Nimely is a politician in Liberia. In 2003 he became the leader of the Movement for Democracy in Liberia , which soon became Liberia's second largest rebel group. Following the exile of President Charles Taylor, Nimely led his group into the transitional government which was formed on...
, 2003–2006 - George WallaceGeorge Wallace (Liberia)George W. Wallace, jr. was born on May 30, 1938 to George Wallace and Elizabeth Yebade Wallace in Monrovia, Liberia. He was the foreign minister of Liberia from 2006 to 2007. He took office early in 2006, having been appointed to the cabinet of the incoming president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and...
, 2006–2007 - Olubanke King AkereleOlubanke King AkereleOlubanke King Akerele is a Liberian politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the cabinet of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf from October 2007 until her resignation on 3 November 2010. She is the granddaughter of Liberia's 16th president, Charles D. B...
, 2007-2010 - Toga G. McIntosh, December 4, 2010 - present