Charles D. B. King
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Charles D.B. King
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17th President of Liberia
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| In office January 5, 1920 – December 3, 1930 |
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| Vice President | Henry Too Wesley (1924-1928) Allen Yancy (1928-1930) |
| Preceded by | Daniel E. Howard |
| Succeeded by | Edwin Barclay |
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| Born | 1875 |
| Died | 1961 |
| Political party | True Whig |
Charles Dunbar Burgess King (1875–1961) was a politician in Liberia of Freetown Creole descent (both of King's parents were ethnic Creoles). He was a member of the True Whig Party, which ruled the country from 1878 until 1980. He served as President from 1920 until 1930.
King was the foreign minister of Liberia from 1912 until he was elected President in 1920. Though a moderate supporter of reform, he continued to support the patronage machine and dominance of the True Whig party.
He was challenged in the presidential election of 1927 by Thomas J.R. Faulkner. According to an official statement King had received 234,000 votes; however, at the time Liberia had only 15,000 registered voters. This won King the dubious achievement of being listed in the Guinness Book of Records 1982 for the most fraudulent election reported in history.
After losing the election, Faulkner accused many members of the True Whig Party government of recruiting and selling contract labor as slaves. A report by the League of Nations by a commission under the leadership of British jurist Cuthbert Christy supported many of Faulkner's allegations, and implicated many government officials, including vice president Allen Yancy. Yancey and King resigned over the scandal in December 1930.
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[edit] Presidency (1920-1930)
Charles D. B. King became Liberia's President in 1920 and served for 10 years. Though a moderate supporter of reform, he continued to support the patronage machine and dominance of the True Whig party.
[edit] Negotiation of a loan from the United States
By the early 1920s, Liberia's financial crisis had worsened. Since World War I had caused the financial situation of Liberia to be in such bad condition, President King and a commission embarked upon a journey to the United States to get assistance in paying of her debts and straightening her financial affairs. They arrived in March 1921, shortly after President Harding had taken office. The United States Congress had suspended all foreign credit and extension of foreign loans, even though the State Department was sympathetic to the request from the Liberian delegation. Negotiations dragged on until October before the State Department finally granted Liberia a loan for five million dollars. The commission was greatly relieved because the long, painful negotiations were complete. The U.S. government under President Harding proposed anew (after the attempt during World War I from Liberian President Howard to get a loan from the American Woodrow Wilson Administration) to Congress a $5 million loan to Liberia. The House gave its approval but the Senate refused, creating great disappointment and a sense of desperation among Liberian officials, who worried that British and French designs on their country might now prove unstoppable. Liberia had become a charter member of the League of Nations in 1919, and Monrovia was determined to safeguard its sovereignty.
[edit] Firestone Rubber Company
In 1923, the American Firestone Rubber Company explored the possibilities of establishing a rubber plantation in Liberia. In fact, the conditions in Liberia are ideal for rubber trees. In 1926, the Firestone Rubber Company obtained a concession which gave it the right to lease up to 1 million acres (4,000 km²) for 99 years. With this leased land, Firestone created the world's largest plantation at Harbel, Liberia. Exportation of rubber from the new Firestone plantations began in 1934 and rubber quickly became the backbone of the Liberian economy. This was a great economic boon for Liberia due to the creation of 25,000 jobs.
At the same time, Liberia was able to obtain a $5 million loan that was arranged through the Finance Corporation of America, a Firestone subsidiary. Using this private loan, the Liberian government consolidated and bonded all its external and internal debts, thus placing the country's finances on a relatively stable basis. In addition, certain public works projects were funded with money from this loan. One of these projects was the establishment of Liberia's first radio station which broadcast its first message in 1927.
Administration of the customs and internal revenue was placed in the hands of a U.S. financial adviser.
[edit] Presidential election of 1927
King was challenged in the presidential election of 1927 by Thomas J.R. Faulkner. According to an official statement, King received 600,000 votes[1]; however, Liberia had less than 15,000 registered voters at the time. This won King the dubious achievement of being listed in the Guinness Book of Records for the most fraudulent election reported in history.[2]
[edit] Forced labor scandal
After losing the 1927 presidential election to King, Thomas Faulkner accused many members of the True Whig Party government of recruiting and selling contract labor as slaves. Despite Liberia's firm denials and a refusal to cooperate, the League of Nations established a commission under the leadership of British jurist Cuthbert Christy to determine the extent of forced labor and slavery still practiced by Liberia. U.S. President Herbert Hoover briefly suspended relations to press Monrovia into compliance.
In 1930 the League of Nations published the committee's report, dubbed the ‘Christy Report’ after the Committee's chairman. The report supported many of Faulkner's allegations, and implicated many government officials, including vice president Allen Yancy. It was found that forced labor was used for construction of certain public works such as roads in the interior. And certain tribes did practice domestic servitude that could be considered as slavery.
In the report, the Committee concluded that:
- Slavery as defined by the Anti-Slavery Convention, in fact, does not exist in this Republic.
- Shipment to Fernando Po and Gabon is associated with slavery because the method of recruiting carries compulsion with it.
- Persons holding official positions have illegally misused their office in recruiting with the aid of the Liberian Frontier Force.
In its findings, the commissioners reported the following:
- "In order to suppress the native, prevent him from realizing his powers and limitations and prevent him from asserting himself in any way whatever, for the benefit of the dominant and colonizing race, although originally the same African stock as themselves, a policy of gross intimidation and suppression has for years been systematically fostered and encouraged, and is the key word of the Government native policy;" and
- that, "...Vice President Yancy [of Liberia] and other high officials of the Liberian Government, as well as county superintendents and district commissioners, have given their sanction for compulsory recruitment of labor for road construction, for shipment abroad and other work, by the aid and assistance of the Liberian Frontier Force; and have condoned the utilization of this force for purposes of physical compulsion on road construction for the intimidation of villagers, for the humiliation and degradation of chiefs, of captured natives to the coast, there guarding them till the time of shipment [to Fernando Po and Sao Tome.]"[3]
Shortly after the publication of these findings, the Liberian House of Representatives then started the procedure to impeach President King, who hastily resigned. He thus escaped a public trial as the Liberian Constitution reads: ‘No person shall be held to answer for a capital or infamous crime, except in case of impeachment.’ Vice-President Yancy made the same decision. Other Liberian leaders who were implicated in the scandal were also forced to resign.
[edit] References
- ^ Blundell, Nigel (1995). The World's Greatest Mistakes. New York: Bounty Books. p. 135. ISBN 0600572323.
- ^ Guinness Book of World Records 1982. 1981. ISBN 0806902256.
- ^ Report of the International Commission of Inquiry into The Existence of Slavery and Forced Labor in the Republic of Liberia. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office. 1931.
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| Preceded by Daniel E. Howard |
President of Liberia 1920–1930 |
Succeeded by Edwin Barclay |
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