Samuel Benedict | |
---|---|
1st Chief Justice of Liberia | |
In office 1847–1854 | |
Nominated by | Joseph Jenkins Roberts |
Succeeded by | John Day |
Personal details | |
Born | c. 1792 Georgia, United States |
Died | 1854 Monrovia, Liberia |
Samuel Benedict (c. 1792–1854) was a Liberian politician and jurist who served as the 1st Chief Justice of Liberia. He was born a slave in the U.S. state of Georgia in 1792, [1] [2] and purchased his freedom and that of his family. [3] He emigrated to Liberia in 1835, on the ship Indiana. [4]
Prior to Liberia's independence, Benedict was a judge of the Superior Court and a merchant. [5] He later presided over the Liberian Constitutional Convention of 1847, which officially provided Liberia's independence from the American Colonization Society. [6] [7] He was one of Montserrado County's delegates at the convention and a signer of the Liberian Declaration of Independence. [7]
Representing the Anti-Administration Party (AAP), Benedict was defeated by longtime political foe Joseph Jenkins Roberts in the 1847 election to serve as Liberia's first president. [8] [9] [10]
Benedict later became the first Chief Justice of the Liberian Supreme Court. [10] He died in 1854. [1]
Samuel Benedict | |
---|---|
1st Chief Justice of Liberia | |
In office 1847–1854 | |
Nominated by | Joseph Jenkins Roberts |
Succeeded by | John Day |
Personal details | |
Born | c. 1792 Georgia, United States |
Died | 1854 Monrovia, Liberia |
Samuel Benedict (c. 1792–1854) was a Liberian politician and jurist who served as the 1st Chief Justice of Liberia. He was born a slave in the U.S. state of Georgia in 1792, [1] [2] and purchased his freedom and that of his family. [3] He emigrated to Liberia in 1835, on the ship Indiana. [4]
Prior to Liberia's independence, Benedict was a judge of the Superior Court and a merchant. [5] He later presided over the Liberian Constitutional Convention of 1847, which officially provided Liberia's independence from the American Colonization Society. [6] [7] He was one of Montserrado County's delegates at the convention and a signer of the Liberian Declaration of Independence. [7]
Representing the Anti-Administration Party (AAP), Benedict was defeated by longtime political foe Joseph Jenkins Roberts in the 1847 election to serve as Liberia's first president. [8] [9] [10]
Benedict later became the first Chief Justice of the Liberian Supreme Court. [10] He died in 1854. [1]