James Spriggs Payne

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (August 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

James Spriggs Payne
4th President of Liberia (1868) 8th President of Liberia (1876)
In office January 6, 1868 – January 3, 1870 January 3, 1876 – January 7, 1878
Vice President	Unknown (1868) Unknown (1876)
Preceded by	Daniel Bashiel Warner (1868) Joseph Jenkins Roberts (1876)
Succeeded by	Edward James Roye (1868) Anthony W. Gardiner (1876)
Born	December 19, 1819(1819-12-19) Richmond, Virginia
Died	January 31, 1882 (aged 62) Monrovia, Liberia
Political party	Republican

James Spriggs Payne (December 19, 1819 – January 31, 1882) served as the fourth (1868 to 1870) and eighth (1876 to 1878) President of Liberia.

Born in Richmond, Virginia, Payne grew up in a highly religious Methodist family and was a devout Christian. Payne was nearly white and could have passed for a white man; he was said to be only 1/8th black. While a child, his family moved to Liberia, run by the American Colonization Society, to begin a new life.

Aside from religion, he showed interest in politics and economics, areas he later became a successful author in. He was appointed by the government to work finalizing the breakage of Liberia's ties to the American Colonization Society.

During his presidency he fought to end the slave trade existing on Liberia's coast. He also increased the country's foreign trade and improved government relations with the natives, who he felt politics had for the most part ignored.

He left office in 1870, and was re-elected in 1876. He died in Monrovia in 1882, four years after finally leaving office.

[edit] Descendants

Besides Payne's descendants in Liberia the Krio branch of the Blyden family are descended from Payne through Anna Erskine, the partner of Edward Wilmot Blyden.

v • d • e Presidents of Liberia Joseph J. Roberts • Stephen Allen Benson • Daniel Bashiel Warner • James Spriggs Payne • Edward J. Roye • James Skivring Smith • Joseph J. Roberts • James Spriggs Payne • Anthony W. Gardiner • Alfred Francis Russell • Hilary R. W. Johnson • Joseph James Cheeseman • William D. Coleman • Garretson W. Gibson • Arthur Barclay • Daniel Edward Howard • Charles D. B. King • Edwin Barclay • William Tubman • William R. Tolbert, Jr. • Samuel Doe • Amos Sawyer† • David D. Kpormakpor† • Wilton G. S. Sankawulo† • Ruth Perry† • Charles G. Taylor • Moses Blah • Gyude Bryant† • Ellen Johnson Sirleaf  † denotes non-presidential head of state

This article about a Liberian politician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.