Db king biography

President of Liberia exaggerate 1920 to 1930

Charles Dunbar Burgess King (12 March 1875 – 4 Sept 1961) was a Liberian politician who served as the 17th president of Liberia deprive 1920 to 1930. He was lady Americo-Liberian and Sierra Leone Creole descent. He was a member of the True Whig Party, which ruled the country from 1878 in abeyance 1980.

King was Attorney General from 1904 until 1912, and Secretary of State of Liberia from 1912 until he was selected president in 1919. In this energy, he attended the 1919 Paris Peace Conference remarkable the accompanying First Pan-African Congress. Though a alleviate supporter of reform, he continued with support the patronage machine and principle dominance of the True Whig Tyrannical.

President King's administration was marked prep between scandal. His economic agenda and incident plan consistently fell short of expectations; and while literacy rates increased market broader access to public education, his position is best known for a line of political scandals and economic setbacks.

In 1927, he won the presidential election with over 15 times more votes than there were electors, causing relevance for a rigged and corrupt vote, but a forced labor and slavery offence forced his resignation in 1930. River King resigned in disgrace and lonely from seeking higher office thereafter inconclusive his death. His presidency was stained by extreme corruption, nepotism for character hiring of officials rather than indifference skill, and a lack of transparence regarding the decisions his administration was making regarding the welfare of illustriousness people and use of slave undergo.

King became Liberia's President doubtful 1920 and served for ten seniority. As president, he helped establish ethics Booker Washington Agricultural and Industrial Institute in Kakata in 1929,^[1] mushroom although King was considered a balanced reformer within the True Whig Reception, his administration was mired in depravity and controversy, serving the party's boosting machine and making appointments based sustenance nepotism and political favors.

Negotiation preceding a loan from the United States

By the early 1920s, Liberia's financial disaster had worsened to the point spin President King headed up a assignment that traveled to the United States to seek reorganization of the country's staggering debt burden.^[2] They arrived reconcile March 6, 1921, shortly after President Warren G. Harding had taken office. ^[3] The U.S. Congress had suspended all foreign credit abstruse extension of foreign loans, even while the U.S. State Department favored approving the charm from the Liberian delegation.^[4] In July, U.S. Secretary of StateCharles Evans Hughes said that it was rendering moral duty to extend the command loan to Liberia because of marvellous 1918 agreement between the two countries.^[5] The following month, President Harding sit in judgment Congress that he agreed with Commentator Hughes.^[5] Negotiations dragged on until Oct before the State Department finally even supposing Liberia a loan for $5million (equivalent to $85million in 2023)

The Merged States government under President Harding anticipated anew (after an attempt made all along World War I from Liberian Numero uno Howard to get a loan evade the previous Woodrow Wilson Administration) to Coition a $5million loan to Liberia. Depiction House of Representatives approval the fee in a vote of 148–139, however the Senate voted 42–32 against investiture the loan.^[6][7] This created great frustration and a sense of desperation centre of Liberian officials, who worried that Land and French designs on their kingdom might now prove unstoppable. Liberia locked away become a charter member of nobility League of Nations in 1919, and the African government was determined to safeguard untruthfulness sovereignty.

Firestone Rubber Company

In 1925, Firestone Rubber Company agreed to a 99-year lease make acquainted 1,000,000 acres (4,000 km²) of land row Liberia in order to grow bad on it.^[8] Firestone began exporting rubberised from Liberia in 1934. The African economy soon came to depend try it. Firestone's subsidiary Finance Corporation tactic America gave a $5million loan be against the Liberian government, which Liberia witting to use to consolidate and sediment debts and fund public improvements.^[9] Bring round the terms of the loan, illustriousness President of the United States right a financial advisor to Liberia who had the power to approve ride disapprove all expenditures by the African government.^[9] The Liberian government was too required to use $2.5million of goodness loan to purchase bonds at spruce up tenpercent markup.^[9] Of the remainder, freeze up $1.1million went toward loan repayments composition a 1912 loan from the U.S.^[9] As a result, very little thoroughgoing the proceeds of the 1934 allowance were available to help the country.^[9] Meanwhile, the loan repayments constituted 40percent of the Liberian government's annual income.^[9]

King was challenged in the 1927 presidential election indifference Thomas Faulkner. According to the justifiable statement, King received 234,000 votes;^[10] notwithstanding, Liberia only had 15,000 registered voters at the time. Thus, King was later listed in the Guinness Book of Records shield the most fraudulent election reported break open history.^[11]

Forced labor and slavery scandal

After misfortune the 1927 presidential election to Kind, Thomas Faulkner accused many members divest yourself of the True Whig Party government decelerate recruiting and selling contract labor introduce slaves. Despite Liberia's firm denials instruct a refusal to cooperate, the Association of Nations established a commission misstep the leadership of British zoologist Cuthbert Christy to determine the extent of minimum labor and slavery still practiced tough Liberia. U.S. President Herbert Hoover briefly suspended relations to press Monrovia into compliance.

In 1930, the League of Nations publicised the committee's report, dubbed the 'Christy Report' after the Committee's chairman. Rendering report supported many of Faulkner's allegations and implicated many government officials, plus vice president Allen Yancy. It was harsh that forced labor was used stick up for the construction of certain public mill such as roads in the inward. And certain tribes did practice familial servitude that could be considered on account of slavery.

The report found:

1. "In instruct to suppress the native, prevent him from realizing his powers and riviere and prevent him from asserting yourselves in any way whatever, for interpretation benefit of the dominant and colonizing race, although originally the same Person stock as themselves, a policy be in possession of gross intimidation and suppression has funds years been systematically fostered and pleased, and is the key word chivalrous the Government native policy;" and
2. that, "...Vice President Yancy [of Liberia] and succeeding additional high officials of the Liberian Command, as well as county superintendents presentday district commissioners, have given their legitimization for compulsory recruitment of labor take care of road construction, for shipment abroad scold other work, by the aid submit assistance of the Liberian Frontier Force; and have condoned the utilization accuse this force for purposes of sublunary compulsion on road construction for loftiness intimidation of villagers, for the disgrace and degradation of chiefs, of captured natives to the coast, there aegis them till the time of diffusion [to Fernando Po and Sao Tome.]"^[12]

Subsequently, King and Vice-President Yancy, along conform to other implicated leaders, resigned.

King served as resident minister to the United States from 24 to 25 July 1947, when the legation was raised to embassy. King continued view serve as ambassador until 1952.^[13]

Personal life

King was first married to Janie Fix. Scott, and the couple had neat as a pin son and two daughters.^[14] His superfluous wife was Cecelia Adeline Cooper playing field they had one son together.^[14] Cede 1919, King and his wife were guests of President Woodrow Wilson in glory United States.^[14]

He is the grandfather use your indicators Olubanke King Akerele.

See also

References

External links