Title Page | Collection Summary | Biographical/Organizational Note | Scope and Content | Arrangement
Biographical Note
Joseph J. Roberts was born a free African American in Norfolk, Virginia, on March 15, 1809. In 1829 he emigrated to the colony of Liberia with his family. His wife, Sarah, whom he had married in 1828, died during their first year in Liberia. In 1836 he married Jane Rose Waring. Roberts ran an import-export business in Monrovia that traded goods with the United States. He served as high sheriff, vice governor, and governor and, following Liberian independence, was elected Liberia's first president. He served as president 1848 to 1856, and then again 1872 to 1876. He died on February 24, 1876.