{"id":4742,"date":"2025-03-25T04:26:43","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T04:26:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/?p=4742"},"modified":"2025-12-10T13:16:24","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T13:16:24","slug":"william-d-coleman-13th-president-of-liberia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/william-d-coleman-13th-president-of-liberia\/","title":{"rendered":"William D. Coleman: 13th President of Liberia"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-path-to-node=\"1\"><b><span class=\"citation-168\">William David Coleman<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-168\"> was an Americo-Liberian politician and a prominent member of the ruling <\/span><b><span class=\"citation-168\">True Whig Party<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-168 citation-end-168\">.<\/span> <span class=\"citation-167\">He served as the <\/span><b><span class=\"citation-167\">13th President of Liberia<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-167 citation-end-167\"> from 1896 to 1900.<\/span> <span class=\"citation-166 citation-end-166\">His presidency was marked by ambitious policies focused on strengthening the central government&#8217;s control over the interior and promoting education and financial reform.<\/span><\/p><div class=\"03bb5c02e2f58c6bb7f372bc13011e34\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size:10px;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-8677361123316975\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ZXZ -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8677361123316975\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3054782407\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br><br \/>\n<\/div>\n\n<hr data-path-to-node=\"2\" \/>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"3\">Key Biographical Information<\/h3>\n<table data-path-to-node=\"4\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Detail<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Information<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,1,0,0\"><b>Full Name<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,1,1,0\">William David Coleman<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,2,0,0\"><b>Born<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,2,1,0\">July 18, 1842, Fayette County, Kentucky, United States<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,3,0,0\"><b>Died<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,3,1,0\">July 12, 1908 (aged 65), Clay-Ashland, Liberia<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,4,0,0\"><b>Political Party<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,4,1,0\"><b>True Whig Party<\/b> (Later ran for the People&#8217;s Party)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,5,0,0\"><b>Previous Offices<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,5,1,0\">Speaker of the House (1877\u20131879); Senator; Vice President (1892\u20131896)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,6,0,0\"><b>Presidential Term<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,6,1,0\">November 12, 1896 \u2013 December 11, 1900<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,7,0,0\"><b>Significance<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,7,1,0\">First Vice President to assume the Presidency after the death of the incumbent (Joseph James Cheeseman).<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<hr data-path-to-node=\"5\" \/>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"6\">Early Life and Arrival in Liberia<\/h3>\n<ul data-path-to-node=\"7\">\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"7,0,0\"><b><span class=\"citation-165\">Birth in Slavery:<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-165 citation-end-165\"> Coleman was born into slavery in Fayette County, Kentucky, United States, in 1842.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"7,1,0\"><b><span class=\"citation-164\">Emigration:<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-164\"> At the age of 11, he emigrated to Liberia in 1853 with his widowed mother and three other family members, settling in the Americo-Liberian community of <\/span><b><span class=\"citation-164\">Clay-Ashland<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-164 citation-end-164\"> near Monrovia.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"7,2,0\"><b><span class=\"citation-163\">Self-Made Man:<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-163\"> Due to poverty, he had little formal education, instead training as a <\/span><b><span class=\"citation-163\">carpenter<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-163 citation-end-163\"> and working various manual labor jobs.<\/span> <span class=\"citation-162\">He later became a successful <\/span><b><span class=\"citation-162\">trader<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-162 citation-end-162\">, studying independently at night to gain the education he missed.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr data-path-to-node=\"8\" \/>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"9\">Political Career and Vice Presidency<\/h3>\n<ul data-path-to-node=\"10\">\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"10,0,0\"><b><span class=\"citation-161\">Entry into Politics:<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-161\"> Coleman&#8217;s political career began in 1877 when he was elected to the <\/span><b><span class=\"citation-161\">House of Representatives<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-161\"> for Montserrado County and quickly rose to become the <\/span><b><span class=\"citation-161\">Speaker of the House<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-161 citation-end-161\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"10,1,0\"><b>True Whig Power:<\/b><span class=\"citation-160\"> He was elected as a Senator in 1879 and later joined the <\/span><b><span class=\"citation-160\">True Whig Party<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-160 citation-end-160\">, the dominant political force in Liberia for over a century.<\/span><\/p><div class=\"03bb5c02e2f58c6bb7f372bc13011e34\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size:10px;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-8677361123316975\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ZXZ -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8677361123316975\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3054782407\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br><br \/>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"10,2,0\"><b>Vice President:<\/b><span class=\"citation-159\"> In 1892, he was elected <\/span><b><span class=\"citation-159\">Vice President<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-159 citation-end-159\"> alongside President Joseph James Cheeseman, serving two terms.<\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"citation-158\">Upon Cheeseman&#8217;s death in November 1896, Coleman ascended to the presidency, becoming the <\/span><b><span class=\"citation-158\">first Liberian Vice President to complete a predecessor&#8217;s term<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-158 citation-end-158\"> due to death in office.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr data-path-to-node=\"11\" \/>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"12\">Presidency and Key Policies (1896\u20131900)<\/h3>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"13\"><span class=\"citation-157\">Coleman was re-elected in his own right, centering his administration on three key pillars: <\/span><b><span class=\"citation-157 citation-end-157\">Education, Finances, and Interior Policy.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<ul data-path-to-node=\"14\">\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"14,0,0\"><b><span class=\"citation-156\">Education:<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-156\"> He prioritized education, working with his close friend, the renowned pan-Africanist <\/span><b><span class=\"citation-156\">Dr. Edward Wilmot Blyden<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-156\">, to <\/span><b><span class=\"citation-156\">re-open Liberia College<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-156 citation-end-156\"> in Monrovia, which had been struggling.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"14,1,0\"><b><span class=\"citation-155\">Financial Reform:<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-155 citation-end-155\"> To address the nation&#8217;s perennial financial woes, he reorganized the customs service and worked to improve revenue collection from foreign trade.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"14,2,0\"><b>Interior Policy:<\/b> This was the cornerstone and the most controversial aspect of his rule. <span class=\"citation-154\">Coleman was convinced that Liberia&#8217;s future depended on the <\/span><b><span class=\"citation-154\">exploitation of resources<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-154 citation-end-154\"> and the expansion of the central government&#8217;s control over the vast hinterland regions inhabited by indigenous groups.<\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"citation-153 citation-end-153\">He was successful in establishing influence in the interior north and west of the Saint Paul River.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"source-inline-chip-container ng-star-inserted\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"source-inline-chip-container ng-star-inserted\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"15\">Opposition and Resignation<\/h3>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"16\"><span class=\"citation-152 citation-end-152\">Coleman&#8217;s assertive Interior Policy\u2014which often involved military force to subjugate indigenous populations\u2014faced strong opposition, primarily from within his own Americo-Liberian political circles and cabinet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul data-path-to-node=\"17\">\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"17,0,0\"><b>Political Conflict:<\/b><span class=\"citation-151\"> Disagreement over his handling of affairs with the native tribes and his ambitious interior policy led to a <\/span><b><span class=\"citation-151\">falling out with key political allies<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-151 citation-end-151\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"17,1,0\"><b><span class=\"citation-150\">Resignation:<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-150\"> Facing immense political pressure from the legislature and his cabinet, William D. Coleman <\/span><b><span class=\"citation-150\">resigned from office in December 1900<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-150 citation-end-150\">, just one year into his second elected term.<\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"citation-149 citation-end-149\">He was succeeded by his Secretary of State, Garretson W. Gibson, as the Vice President had already died in office.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"17,2,0\"><b><span class=\"citation-148\">Later Life:<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-148 citation-end-148\"> After his resignation, he remained politically active, running for president three more times (1901, 1903, 1905) as a member of the opposition People&#8217;s Party, but he was unsuccessful.<\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"citation-147 citation-end-147\">He died in Clay-Ashland in 1908.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>William David Coleman was an Americo-Liberian politician and a prominent member of the ruling True Whig Party. He served as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[109],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-offbeat"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4742","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4742"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4742\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4743,"href":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4742\/revisions\/4743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}