Charles Cecil Dennis Jr (February 21, 1931 – April 22, 1980) was a

Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...

n political figure who served as

Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

under President

William Tolbert William Richard Tolbert Jr. (13 May 1913 – 12 April 1980) was a Liberian politician who served as the 20th president of Liberia from 1971 until his assassination in 1980. Tolbert was an Americo-Liberian and trained as a civil servant before en ...

from 1973 until the

1980 Liberian coup d'état The 1980 Liberian coup d'état happened on April 12, 1980, when President William Tolbert of Liberia was overthrown and murdered in a violent coup. The coup was staged by an indigenous Liberian faction of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) u ...

led by

Samuel Doe Samuel Kanyon Doe (6 May 1951 – 9 September 1990) was a Liberian politician and military officer who served as the 21st President of Liberia from 1986 to 1990. He ruled Liberia as Chairman of the People's Redemption Council (PRC) from 1980 ...

. Along with 11 other current and former members of the Liberian government, he was tried by a military tribunal and executed by firing squad ten days after the coup.

Biography

Charles Cecil Dennis, Jr, was born in

Montserrado County Montserrado County is a county in the northwestern portion of the West African nation of Liberia containing its national capital, Monrovia. One of 15 counties that comprise the first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has 17 sub p ...

,John Weghorst, "The Beach and the Pole – The Execution of C. Cecil Dennis, Jr."
Wonderland 1981. Liberia, on February 21, 1931. He attended the

College of West Africa The College of West Africa is a Methodist high school in Monrovia, Liberia. The school was opened in 1839 as the Monrovia Seminary, making it one of the oldest European-style schools in Africa. It has produced many of Liberia's leaders. Alumni inc ...

in Liberia, before going to the United States, where he entered Lincoln University,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, graduating in 1954 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. In the fall of 1951, Dennis joined the Beta chapter of the

Omega Psi Phi Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. () is a List of African-American fraternities, historically African-American Fraternities and sororities, fraternity. It was founded on November 17, 1911 at Howard University. Omega Psi Phi is a founding member of ...

fraternity at Lincoln."The Lincoln University posthumously awards long-overdue honorary degree"
, ''The Baltimore Times'', October 28, 2013. He then completed his education at Georgetown University School of Law in

Washington, DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

. He was subsequently

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

in Liberia."Dennis, C. C. (1931–80)", in ''Makers of Modern Africa'', London: Africa Journal Ltd, 1981, pp. 152–53. In 1960, Dennis was appointed director of the Legislative Drafting Service of the

Liberian Senate The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislative branch of Liberia, and together with the House of Representatives comprises the Legislature of Liberia. Each of the fifteen counties are equally represented by two senators, elected to s ...

. In 1965, he set up a private legal business, C. Cecil Dennis Jr. Law, in

Monrovia Monrovia () is the administrative capital city, capital and largest city of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast and as of the 2022 census had 1,761,032 residents, home to 33.5% of Liber ...

. That same year he was made professor at the

Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law is the law school of the University of Liberia in Monrovia, Liberia. Founded in 1951, it is named after former Chief Justice of the Liberian Supreme Court, Louis Arthur Grimes. The school offers a three-year pro ...

University of Liberia The University of Liberia (UL or LU in older versions of abbreviation) is a publicly funded institution of higher learning located in Monrovia, Liberia. Authorized by the national government in 1851, the university opened in 1862 as Liberia Coll ...

. In 1973, Dennis was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, the post he held until his death. Dennis was executed by soldiers on April 22, 1980, at Barclay Beach, Monrovia, alongside 12 other former leading government officials: Frank E. Tolbert (brother of President William Tolbert and President Pro-Tem of the Liberian Senate); E. Reginald Townsend, National Chairman of the True Whig Party; Cyril Bright, former Minister of Planning and Economic Affairs; Chief Justice

James A. A. Pierre James Alexander Adolphus Pierre (July 18, 1908 – April 22, 1980) was the Chief Justice of Liberia#List of chief justices, 13th Chief Justice of Liberia, Chief Justice of Liberia, serving from 1971 until his death in 1980. He had previously serve ...

; Richard Abrom Henries, Speaker of the House of Representatives; Frank J. Stewart, Sr, Director of the Budget; John W. Sherman, Assistant Minister of Commerce and Trade; P. Clarence Parker II, Chairman of the National Investment Council and Treasurer of the True Whig Party; James T. Phillips, former Minister of Finance, former Minister of Agriculture; David Franklin Neal, former Minister of Planning and Economic Affairs; Joseph J. Chesson, Sr, Minister of Justice; and Charles T. O. King, Deputy Minister for Agriculture. According to journalist Larry C. Price, Dennis was the last man to be shot and defiantly stared his killers down whilst uttering a prayer before his execution at the hands of Samuel Doe's regime.

Legacy

The C. Cecil Dennis Jr Auditorium, part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Monrovia, Liberia, is so-named in his honor. On October 28, 2013, Lincoln University posthumously awarded Cecil Dennis an honorary degree, which was accepted by his widow Agnes Cooper Dennis.

References

External links

containing a picture of Dennis {{DEFAULTSORT:Dennis, Cecil Americo-Liberian people Dennis, Charles Cecil Dennis, Charles Cecil Dennis, Charles Cecil Dennis, Charles Cecil Executed Liberian people People executed by Liberia by firing squad Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) alumni True Whig Party politicians 20th-century Liberian politicians African politicians assassinated in the 1980s Politicians assassinated in 1980

Biography

Legacy

Further reading

References

External links