Stephen Allen Tolbert (February 16, 1921April 29, 1975) was a Liberian politician and businessman.

Early life

Tolbert was born on February 16, 1921, in

Bensonville Bensonville is the capital city of Montserrado County, Liberia. As of the 2008 national census, its population stood at 4,089. Bensonville is located away from the national capital, Monrovia Monrovia () is the administrative capital city, ca ...

, Liberia, the younger brother of

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 ...

. Tolbert received a high-school education from

Liberia College 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 ...

and in 1941 received a B.A. from the institution. That same year, Tolbert held a chief position at the Division of Passports, and did so until 1943. In 1944, he furthered his education in the United States, first by attending

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

, then the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, where he received a B.S. and M.S. in forestry.

Career

Tolbert served as chief of the division of forestry for the Liberian Department of Agriculture from 1948 to 1949. He then served as assistant secretary of agriculture from 1949 to 1957. He served as director of the school of forestry for the

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 ...

for two years, starting in 1959, before serving as the secretary of agriculture and commerce from 1960 to 1965. Tolbert, with his brother and the

vice president of Liberia The vice president of the Republic of Liberia is the second-highest executive official in Liberia, and one of only two elected executive offices along with the President of Liberia, president. The vice president is elected on the same ticket w ...

William, founded the Mesurado Group of Companies, the first Liberian-owned multimillion-dollar company. It was a fishing enterprise, which expanded its scope as time went on. Tolbert established similar enterprises in

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

and

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. In 1969, Tolbert got into the shrimping industry. Other business interests of his included partial ownership of the Bank of Liberia as well as a diamond-exporting firm known as the Liberian American Mining Company. In 1972, Tolbert was appointed

minister of finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

. He resigned from his position at the Mesurado Group of Companies to accept this cabinet appointment. His appointment was controversial, as his brother was now president, and Tolbert's position was attained in large part due to this relation. Journalist Albert Porte criticized Tolbert for using his public office to advance his business interest in the Mesurado Group of Companies in a 1974 broadside entitled ''Liberianization or Gobbling Business?''. Tolbert sued Porte on the charge of libel for a substantial sum of money, and while Tolbert won the suit, the outcry against the ruling led the founding of the first civil society organization in Liberia.

Death

On April 29, 1975, Tolbert as well as five other associates died in a plane crash after shortly after taking off from Greenville, Liberia, to attend a meeting.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tolbert, Stephen A. 1921 births 1975 deaths 20th-century Liberian politicians Academic staff of the University of Liberia Agriculture ministers of Liberia Americo-Liberian people Ministers of finance of Liberia Liberian businesspeople People from Montserrado County University of Liberia alumni University of Michigan alumni Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1975 Stephen A. Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Liberia