Biography

William R. TolbertJr. 1907, to the union of Hon. William R. Tolbert, Sr. and Mrs. Charlotte A. Hoff-Tolbert, in the City of Bensonville (now Bentol). He and his other siblings werenurtured in a Christian environmentat home and in the Zion Praise Baptist Church (ZPBC) in Bensonville where his father was an elder. The church wasestablished March 10, 1887. He attended the government school inBensonville and later entered C r u m m e l l Memorial Hall in Clay-Ashland. He enteredLiberia Collegeand graduatedCum Laude with the B.A. in 1934. Dr. Tolbert married Victoria Anna David-Tolbert, daughter of the Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, in 1936 in Robertsport, Grand Cape Mount County. His career as a public servant commenced in 1935 as Clerk in the Bureau of Supplies at the Department of the Treasury, and from 1936 – 1943 he served as Disbursing Officer(Paymasterof the Republic) at the Department of the Treasury. From 1943 – 1951, he was a member of the House of Representatives. In January 1952, he was selected to serve as Vice President of the Republic of Liberia during the presidency of H.E. William V. S. Tubman. Following the demise of President Tubman in July 1971, Dr. Tolbert was sworn in as President of the Republic of Liberia. He served in that capacity until the military coup d’etat on April 12, 1980 (1971-1980). While President, he served as Chairperson of the African Union, formerly the Organization Of African Unity (1979 – 1980). In religious life, he served as President of the Baptist World Alliance (1965 – 1970), Pastor of Zion Praise Baptist Church in Bentol City (1953 – 1980),PresidentoftheLiberia BaptistMissionary andEducational Convention (1958 – 1980), and President of the Baptist World Alliance (1965 – 1970). Among some of the major policies and achievementsof PresidentTolbert during his tenure as President of the Republic of Liberiawere policies of nationalinclusion encapsulatedin popular slogans such as: “Total involvement for Higher Heights” and“Wholesome Functioning Society”; a massive poverty reduction program under the slogan “Mats to Mattresses” and “Self-Reliance”; establishmentof public corporations such as LPMC and LCCC to maximize the production of oil palm, coconuts, cocoa and coffee; new Development Finance Institutions such as the National Housing Bank, the Agricultural Bank, and the Liberia Bank for Development &Investment(LBDI); construction of hundreds of low-cost housing units at Stephen A. Tolbert Estate - Gardnersville, Matadi and New Matadi Estates, E. Jonathan Goodridge Estate - Barnersville, Amiclar Cabral Estate – Sinkor, and New Georgia Estate. Liberia also took on a more aggressive Pan-Africanist stancesupportingLiberation MovementsSupporting anti-apartheidand was born on May 13, 4 fighting for independence throughout Africa, especially inZimbabwe,Guinea- Bissau, Namibia, Angola, Mozambique,Zambia, and South Africa. Key accomplishmentsand achievements of President William R. Tolbert Jr.: Rotation of venue for the annualIndependence Day celebrations among the various counties, initiation of the $10 million NationalFundraising Rally (“Rally Time”) for development projects in which he pledged 25% of his salary towards the effort Instituting free medical care for pregnant mothers and children aged 2 and under Investing in a new wholly governmentowned agriculturalcompany “AGRIMECO” with Israeli technical assistance to spearhead mechanized land clearance and modern farming methods Creation of a new government agency - the Ministry of Action for Development &Progress (ADP) - to speedily implementcritical development projects Establishing the Mano River Union Agreement between Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea (later to be joined by Ivory Coast)Adding more turbines to the T. J. R. Faulkner & W. F. Walker Hydroelectric Power Station The creation of The National Bank of Liberia as the nation’s 1st Central Bank Reducing tuition at the University of Liberia by 50% and subsidizing free books for students Building a campus of the University of Liberia in Fendall to allow a larger number and broader spectrum of students to attend the university Liberia becomes not only a signator but also instrumental in the formation of ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States). President Tolbert was also a successful farmer and entrepreneur. He was a founding shareholder of the Mesurado Group of Companies, in partnership with his brother Stephen A. Tolbert and Swiss bankers.