Joseph James Cheeseman
Encyclopedia
Joseph James Cheeseman was the 12th President of Liberia. He was born in Edina
, Grand Bassa County
, Liberia and was elected three times on the True Whig
ticket. Cheeseman was educated at Liberia College (now University of Liberia
).
which Liberia had long controlled. President Johnson (1884-92) was responsible for this negotiation but retired before the treaty was signed.
The boundaries of Liberia were beginning to be officially established from this year onwards.
Whenever the British and French seemed intent on enlarging at Liberia's expense the neighboring territories they already controlled, periodic appearances by U.S. warships helped discourage encroachment, even though successive American administrations rejected appeals from Monrovia for more forceful support.
over trading routes in the region, while various factions of the Gola were fighting with each other too.
Ethnic struggles with the Kru, Gola
, and Grebo tribe who resented incursions into their territory occurred several times during Cheeseman's reign. Cheeseman initially attempted to settle tribal conflicts by peaceful negotiations. One notable uprising occurred in 1893 when the Grebo tribe attacked the settlement of Harper
. Troops and the gunboat Gorronomah were sent to defeat the tribesmen.
Edina, Liberia
Edina is a town in District 1 of Grand Bassa County, Liberia. Located on the central portion of the Atlantic Coast of Liberia on the north shore of the mouth of the St. John River, it is about north of Grand Bassa’s capitol of Buchanan. Settled in 1832, the current mayor of Edina is Etweda Cooper...
, Grand Bassa County
Grand Bassa County
Grand Bassa is a county in the west-central 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 eight districts. Buchanan serves as the capital with the area of the county measuring...
, Liberia and was elected three times on the True Whig
True Whig
The True Whig Party, also known as Liberian Whig Party, is the oldest political party in Liberia. Founded in 1869, the party dominated Liberian politics from 1878 until 1980 to the extent that the country was virtually a one-party state, although opposition parties were never outlawed...
ticket. Cheeseman was educated at Liberia College (now University of Liberia
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...
).
Economy
In the decades after 1868, escalating economic difficulties weakened the state's dominance over the coastal indigenous population. Conditions worsened, as 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.Territorial conflicts
In 1892, the French forced Liberia to cede to the Ivory Coast the area beyond Cape PalmasCape Palmas
Cape Palmas is a headland on the extreme southeast end of the coast of Liberia, West Africa, at the extreme southwest corner of the northern half of the continent. The Cape itself consists of a small, rocky peninsula connected to the mainland by a sandy isthmus. Immediately to the west of the...
which Liberia had long controlled. President Johnson (1884-92) was responsible for this negotiation but retired before the treaty was signed.
The boundaries of Liberia were beginning to be officially established from this year onwards.
Whenever the British and French seemed intent on enlarging at Liberia's expense the neighboring territories they already controlled, periodic appearances by U.S. warships helped discourage encroachment, even though successive American administrations rejected appeals from Monrovia for more forceful support.
Ethnic uprisings
Some tribal people living in the hinterland of Montserrado County and further north were at war since the mid-1880s and would stay at war until the late 1890s. On the one hand there was a war between Gola and MandingoMandinka people
The Mandinka, Malinke are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa with an estimated population of eleven million ....
over trading routes in the region, while various factions of the Gola were fighting with each other too.
Ethnic struggles with the Kru, Gola
Gola (ethnic group)
The Gola or Gula are a tribal people living in western Liberia. The Gola language is part of the Southern branch of the West Atlantic language family; , it is spoken by approximately 107,000 people....
, and Grebo tribe who resented incursions into their territory occurred several times during Cheeseman's reign. Cheeseman initially attempted to settle tribal conflicts by peaceful negotiations. One notable uprising occurred in 1893 when the Grebo tribe attacked the settlement of Harper
Harper, Liberia
Harper, situated on Cape Palmas, is the capital of Maryland County in Liberia. It is a coastal town situated between the Atlantic Ocean and the Hoffman River. Harper is Liberia's 11th largest town, with a population of 17,837....
. Troops and the gunboat Gorronomah were sent to defeat the tribesmen.
Decease during presidency
President Cheeseman died in office, and vice president William David Coleman served the remainder of the term and another four years until 1900.External links
- see History of Liberia, external links