William Richard Tolbert, Jr.
20th President of Liberia
In office July 23, 1971 – April 12, 1980
Vice President(s)	James Edward Greene (1972-1977) Bennie Dee Warner (1977–1980)
Preceded by	William V.S. Tubman
Succeeded by	Samuel Doe
Born	May 13, 1913 Tuzon, Liberia
Political party	True Whig

William Richard Tolbert, Jr. (May 13, 1913 – April 12, 1980) was president of Liberia from 1971 to 1980. Image File history File links Tolbert. ... July 23 is the 204th day (205th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 161 days remaining. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... April 12 is the 102nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (103rd in leap years). ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... James Edward Greene (1915–22 June 1977) was a Liberian politician. ... Bennie Dee Warner is a Liberian politician. ... William Vacanarat Shadrach Tubman (November 29, 1895 - July 23, 1971) was President of Liberia from 1944 until his death in 1971. ... Samuel Kanyon Doe (May 6, 1950/1951 – September 9, 1990) was the president of the west African country of Liberia from 1980 to 1990. ... May 13 is the 133rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (134th in leap years). ... 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Grand Gedeh is one of Liberias 15 counties. ... The True Whig Party, also known as Liberian Pumpkin Party, was Liberias only legal political party for over 100 years, from 1878 to the coup detat of 1980. ... May 13 is the 133rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (134th in leap years). ... 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... April 12 is the 102nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (103rd in leap years). ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ...

Biography

Trained as a civil servant, he entered the country's House of Representatives in 1943 for the True Whig Party, then the only legal party in the country. He was elected Vice president to William Tubman in 1951 and served in that position until Tubman's death in 1971. 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... The True Whig Party, also known as Liberian Pumpkin Party, was Liberias only legal political party for over 100 years, from 1878 to the coup detat of 1980. ... The Vice-President of Liberia is the second-highest executive official in the Liberian government. ... William Vacanarat Shadrach Tubman (November 29, 1895 – July 23, 1971) was President of Liberia from 1944 until his death in 1971. ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ...

Upon becoming president with Tubman's death, Tolbert initiated some liberal reforms and allowed the creation of an opposition party, the Progressive Alliance of Liberia, the first opposition in 125 years of Liberia's independence. Though reelected in 1975, his government was criticized sharply for failing to address the deep economic disparities between different sectors of the population, notably the Americo-Liberians, who had dominated the country since independence, and the various indigenous ethnic groups that constituted the majority of the population. 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Americo-Liberians are a Liberian ethnicity of African American descent. ...

William R. Tolbert, Jr.. (left), Liberian president, and U.S. president Richard Nixon in 1973

Tensions came to a head in April 1979, when hundreds of protesters marched through the streets of the capital, Monrovia, demonstrating against the sharp rise in the price of rice. Tolbert ordered his troops to fire on the demonstrators, and some seventy people were killed. Despite efforts to restore order, rioting ensued throughout Liberia, and attempts to quash the opposition by arresting its leaders failed. On April 12, 1980, Tolbert was overthrown by military mutineers in a coup d'état and was executed by being stabbed 15 times. The coup leader, Samuel Doe, went on to execute many of Tolbert's officials, effectively ending Americo-Liberian rule. Image File history File links Tolbert_Nixon_1973. ... Image File history File links Tolbert_Nixon_1973. ... United States is the current Good Article Collaboration of the week! Please help to improve this article to the highest of standards. ... Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... For alternate meanings, see Monrovia (disambiguation). ... Species Oryza glaberrima Oryza sativa Rice is two species (Oryza sativa and Oryza glaberrima) of grass, native to tropical and subtropical southern & southeastern Asia and to Africa, which together provide more than one fifth of the calories consumed by humans[1]. (The term wild rice can refer to wild species... April 12 is the 102nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (103rd in leap years). ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... A coup d’État (pronounced ), or simply coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government through unconstitutional means by a part of the state establishment — mostly replacing just the high-level figures. ... Samuel Kanyon Doe (May 6, 1950/1951 – September 9, 1990) was the president of the west African country of Liberia from 1980 to 1990. ...

Tolbert was also chairman of the Organisation of African Unity from July 1979 until he was killed in April 1980. Flag of the Organisation of African Unity, later also used by the African Union. ...

Presidents of Liberia

Joseph J. Roberts • Stephen Allen Benson • Daniel Bashiel Warner • James Spriggs Payne • Edward J. Roye • James Skivring Smith • Joseph J. Roberts • James Spriggs Payne • Anthony W. Gardiner • Alfred Francis Russell • Hilary R. W. Johnson • Joseph James Cheeseman • William D. Coleman • Garretson W. Gibson • Arthur Barclay • Daniel Edward Howard • Charles D.B. King • Edwin Barclay • William Tubman • William R. Tolbert, Jr. • Samuel Doe • Amos Sawyer† • David D. Kpormakpor† • Wilton G. S. Sankawulo† • Ruth Perry† • Charles G. Taylor • Moses Blah • Gyude Bryant† • Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf  † denotes non-presidential head of state