Edward James Roye
| Edward James Roye | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 5th President of Liberia | |
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In office January 3, 1870 – October 26, 1871 |
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| Vice President | James Skivring Smith |
| Preceded by | James Spriggs Payne |
| Succeeded by | James Skivring Smith |
| 4th Chief Justice of Liberia | |
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In office 1865–1868 |
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| Nominated by | Daniel Bashiel Warner |
| Preceded by | Boston Jenkins Drayton |
| Succeeded by | C. L. Parsons |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
February 3, 1815 Newark, Ohio, United States |
| Died | February 11, 1872 (aged 57) |
| Political party | True Whig |
Edward James Roye (February 3, 1815 – February 11, 1872) served as the fifth President of Liberia from 1870 to his overthrow in 1871 and subsequent violent death. He had previously served as the 4th Chief Justice of Liberia from 1865 until 1868. He was the first member of Liberia's True Whig Party to serve as President.
Born into a prosperous African American family in Newark, Ohio, Roye was a descendant of the Igbo people. His father, John Roye, managed a ferry across the Wabash River at Terre Haute, Indiana and acquired considerable land in Terre Haute as well as Vandalia in the neighboring state of Illinois. As a result of the family's financial standing, young Edward was able to attend Ohio University in neighboring Athens, Ohio. In 1836, upon the premature death of his father, Roye relocated to Terre Haute where he established the community's largest barber shop, boasting a 79-foot (24 m) high barber pole, "the tallest in western Indiana".
In 1846, attracted by the American Colonization Society, Roye immigrated to Liberia and set up business as a merchant. Within three years of his arrival, he became active in Liberian politics. Before being elected president he served as Speaker of the Liberian House of Representatives and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia.
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