Samuel Doe

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Samuel Kanyon Doe

21st President of Liberia
In office January 6, 1986 – September 9, 1990
Vice President(s)	Henry Fumba Moniba
Preceded by	William R. Tolbert, Jr.
Succeeded by	Charles G. Taylor

Born	May 6, 1951 Tuzon, Liberia
Died	September 9, 1990
Political party	National Democratic

Master Sergeant Samuel Kanyon Doe (May 6, 1951 – September 9, 1990) was the President of Liberia from 1980 to 1990. His regime was characterized by ethnically-based dictatorship and the suppression of political opposition.

1 Personality
2 1980 coup
3 Presidency
4 Assassination

[edit] Personality

Trained by U.S. Army Special Forces, Doe was an ethnic Krahn, part of a rural and deprived tribe in inland Liberia. The Krahn were part of the large majority of the Liberian population that was of native African descent, which had long been repressed by the Americo-Liberian elite, who were descended from free-born and formerly enslaved blacks from America who founded Liberia in 1847.

[edit] 1980 coup

On April 12, 1980, Doe staged a military coup, killing President William R. Tolbert, Jr. in his palace and establishing a military regime (the People's Redemption Council) with himself at its head. This marked the first time since Liberia's establishment as a country that it was governed by people of native African descent instead of the Americo-Liberian elite, and the early days of the regime were marked by mass executions of members of Tolbert's deposed government. In August 1981, Thomas Weh Syen, who opposed moves by Doe that were perceived as pro-American, was arrested along with four other members of the People's Redemption Council for allegedly plotting to assassinate Doe; the alleged conspirators were executed a few days later.

During his first years in office, Doe quickly developed an affinity with the U.S. government, especially during the administration of Ronald Reagan (who referred to Doe as "Chairman Moe") [1]. He openly supported U.S. Cold War foreign policy in Africa during the 1980s (he even severed diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union), and once even challenged diplomats to a fistfight when they criticized the U.S. in his presence. He developed his political and speechmaking skills by watching Reagan's speeches on television.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Presidency

Doe had a new constitution approved by referendum in 1984 and went on to stage a presidential election on October 15, 1985, giving himself 51% of the vote. The election was heavily rigged, as he took the ballots to a secret location and had 50 of his own handpicked staff count them, and prior to the election he had murdered more than 50 of his opponents. It is also thought that Doe changed his official birthdate from 1951 to 1950 in order to meet the new constitution's requirement that the president be at least 35 years old. Thomas Quiwonkpa, who had been a leader of the 1980 coup along with Doe, attempted to seize power on November 12; the attempt failed after fighting in Monrovia and Quiwonkpa was killed. Doe was formally sworn in on January 6, 1986.

Under Doe, Liberian ports were opened to American, Canadian, and European ships, which brought in considerable foreign investment from foreign shipping firms and earned Liberia a reputation as a tax haven.

In the late 1980s, as fiscal austerity took hold in the United States and the threat of Communism declined with the waning of the Cold War, the U.S. became disenchanted with entrenched corruption in Doe's government and began cutting off critical foreign aid to Doe. This, combined with the popular anger generated by Doe's favoritism toward his native Krahn tribe, placed him in a very precarious position.

[edit] Assassination

Charles Taylor, a former ally of Doe's, crossed into Liberia from Côte d'Ivoire on December 24, 1989 to fight a guerrilla war against him. Taylor had broken out of a United States jail after Doe had accused him of embezzlement. By mid-1990, most of Liberia was controlled by rebel factions. Doe was captured in Monrovia by faction leader Prince Johnson on September 9, 1990 and tortured before being killed. The spectacle was videotaped and seen on news reports around the world. The video shows Johnson sipping a Budweiser as Doe's ear is cut off. [2]

Preceded by William R. Tolbert, Jr.	Head of People's Redemption Council 1980–1986 President of Liberia 1986–1990	Succeeded by Dr. Amos Sawyer