Joseph James Cheeseman

Infobox_President
name=Joseph James Cheeseman
small

order=12th President of Liberia
term_start=January 4 1892
term_end=November 12 1896
vicepresident=William D. Coleman
predecessor=Hilary R. W. Johnson
successor=William D. Coleman
birth_date=1843
birth_place=Grand Bassa County
death_date=death date|1896|11|12|mf=y
death_place=Monrovia
party=True Whig

Joseph James Cheeseman (1843 - 1896) was the 12th President of Liberia.

He was born in Edina, Grand Bassa County, Liberia and was elected three times on the True Whig ticket.

Presidency (1892-1896)

Economy

The decades after 1868, escalating economic difficulties weakened the state's dominance over the coastal indigenous population. Conditions worsened, the cost of imports was far greater than the income generated by exports of coffee, rice, palm oil, sugarcane, and timber. Liberia tried desperately to modernize its largely agricultural economy.

Territorial conflicts

In 1892, the French forced Liberia to cede to the Ivory Coast the area beyond Cape Palmas which Liberia had long controlled. President Johnson (1884-92) was responsible for this negotiation but retired before the treaty was signed. The boundaries of Liberia were beginning to be officially established from this year onwards. [http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Liberia.htm World Statesmen.org: Liberia] - retrieved July 3 2006] Whenever the British and French seemed intent on enlarging at Liberia's expense the neighboring territories they already controlled, periodic appearances by U.S. warships helped discourage encroachment, even though successive American administrations rejected appeals from Monrovia for more forceful support. [Liebenow, J. Gus, "Liberia: the Quest for Democracy". Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1987]

Ethnic uprisings

Some tribal people living in the hinterland of Montserrado County and further north were at war since mi 1880s and would stay at war until the late 1890s. On the one hand there was a war between Gola and Mandingo over trading routes in the region, while various factions of the Gola were fighting with each other too.

Ethnic struggles with the Kru, Gola, and Grebo tribe who resented incursions into their territory occurred several times during Cheeseman's reign. Cheeseman initially attempted to settle tribal conflicts by peaceful negotiations. One notable uprising occurred in 1893 when the Grebo tribe attached the settlement of Harper. Troops and the gunboat Gorronomah were sent to defeat the tribesmen.

Decease during presidency

President Cheeseman died in office, and vice-president William David Coleman served the remainder of the term and another four years until 1900.

References

ee also

*History of Liberia

Further reading

*see History of Liberia, further reading

External links

*see History of Liberia, external links