Joseph Rudolph Grimes was a leading politician in Liberia

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...

. A trained lawyer, he served as Secretary of state from 1960 to 1971.

Early life

Grimes was born on October 31, 1923, to Louis Arthur Grimes

Louis Arthur Grimes

Louis 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...

 and Victoria Grimes. He was educated at the College of West Africa

College of West Africa

The College of West Africa is a Methodist high school in Monrovia, Liberia. The school was opened in 1839 , making it one of the oldest European-style schools in Africa...

 (now Methodist University of Liberia) before graduating from 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...

) with a Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 degree. Grimes then attended Harvard Law School

Harvard Law School

Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...

 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 where he earned a law degree

Law degree

A Law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers; but while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not themselves confer a license...

, followed by a master's degree from Columbia University

Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...

 in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 in international affairs.

Career

Following his education in America, he returned to Liberia where he founded the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law

Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law

Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law is the law school of the University of Liberia in Monrovia, Liberia. Founded in 1951, it is named after former Chief Justice of the Liberian Supreme Court, Louis Arthur Grimes. The school offers a three-year program leading to the granting of the Bachelor of Laws...

 at the now University of Liberia. Named after his father, the younger Grimes served as the first dean starting in 1951.

In 1958, he was appointed as the Acting Secretary of State of Liberia. In 1960, he became the second foreign minister

Foreign minister

A Minister of Foreign Affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign state. The foreign minister is often regarded as the most senior ministerial position below that of the head of government . It is often granted to the deputy prime minister in...

 (Secretary of State) under President William Tubman

William Tubman

William Vacanarat Shadrach Tubman was a Liberian politician. He was the 19th President of Liberia from 1944 until his death in 1971....

. Serving until 1971, he is the longest serving foreign minister in Liberian history. He was preceded by Momolu Dukuly

Momolu Dukuly

Momolu 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...

 and was replaced by Rocheforte Lafayette Weeks

Rocheforte Lafayette Weeks

Rocheforte 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...

.

Later years

Joseph Rudolph Grimes died on September 7, 2007, in Guttenberg, New Jersey

Guttenberg, New Jersey

Guttenberg , is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the town population was 11,176. Only four blocks wide, Guttenberg is one of the smallest municipalities in New Jersey and the most densely populated incorporated place in the...

, at the age of 73.