Joseph Jenkins Roberts

Joseph Jenkins Roberts was an Americo-Liberian merchant who emigrated to Liberia in 1829, where he became a politician. Elected as the first (1848–1856) and seventh (1872–1876) president of Liberia after independence, he was the first man of African descent to govern the country, serving previously as governor from 1841 to 1848. He later returned to office following the 1871 Liberian coup d'état. Born free in Norfolk, Virginia, Roberts emigrated as a young man with his mother, siblings, wife, and child to the young West African colony. He opened a trading firm in Monrovia and later engaged in politics.

15 March 1809

Born on the same birth day (15 March): Alia Bhatt • Arif Mardin • Carl Smith (musician) • Christian Marquand • Eduard Strauss • Frank Dobson • Jens Salumäe • Jules Chevalier • Lawrence Tierney • Nick Ahmed • Philippe de Broca • Reza Shah • Sandro (footballer, born 1989) • William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne • William Mitchell Ramsay

Born in the same month (March 1809): Edward FitzGerald (poet) • Fredrik Pacius • Georges-Eugène Haussmann • Joseph Liouville • Mariano José de Larra • Otto Lindblad