Garretson W. Gibson

Garretson W. Gibson, born on May twentieth, eighteen thirty-two in Baltimore, Maryland, was a prominent figure in Liberian politics. His family emigrated to Liberia in eighteen forty-five, where he received his education in mission schools. After completing his studies, he returned to Maryland to pursue theological training, ultimately becoming an ordained priest.

Upon his return to Liberia, Gibson took on significant roles within the church, serving as the rector of the Episcopalian Trinity Church in Monrovia. His commitment to public service extended to the political arena, where he held the position of Chaplain of the Liberian Senate and later became President of the Trustee Board of Liberia College, even serving as the college's president at one point.

Gibson's political career began as a justice of the peace, and he subsequently served as secretary of state under Presidents Anthony W. Gardiner and Alfred Francis Russell from eighteen seventy-eight to eighteen eighty-four. He continued in this role under Presidents Joseph James Cheeseman and William D. Coleman from eighteen ninety-two until eighteen ninety-nine. Following Coleman's resignation in nineteen hundred, Gibson ascended to the presidency as the secretary of state.

His presidency lasted from nineteen hundred to nineteen oh four, marking a significant chapter in Liberia's history. Garretson W. Gibson passed away in Monrovia on April twenty-sixth, nineteen ten, and remains notable as the last Liberian president born in the United States.