President Barclay of Liberia

Illustration of President Barclay.

Description of Illustration: black and white illustration of President Barclay

      Arthur Barclay (July 31, 1854 – July 10, 1938) was the 15th President of Liberia, serving from 1904 to 1912. In addition to continued internal unrest, the country faced a severe economic crisis and huge indebtedness to European creditors. In the decades after 1868, escalating economic difficulties weakened the state's dominance over the coastal indigenous population. Conditions worsened, as 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.

      In 1907, while President of the Nation, he headed the mission to arrange boundary disputes with the British and French Governments, associating with F. E. R. Johnson, Secretary of State, and T. McCants Stewart, Deputy Attorney-General of Liberia.

      Under his government, the Liberian Frontier Force was created, which later evolved into the Liberian Armed Forces. Read more . . .

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