Liberia Civic verified record

1887 General Election

Liberia Civic historical record

Liberia held a general election on 10 May 1887. Contemporary diplomatic reporting recorded another victory for the governing Whigs.

National result

Hilary R. W. Johnson was elected president for a third term, with J. M. Thompson elected vice president. A United States diplomatic dispatch from Monrovia reported that the Whigs were successful throughout the country.

What the contemporary record says

The dispatch described Liberia’s “entire vote” as 2,475. That wording is preserved here because the surviving report does not clearly distinguish between total ballots cast and the size of the electorate. Candidate-by-candidate totals, percentages, turnout, invalid ballots, and legislative returns have not yet been verified.

Historical significance

The result extended Johnson’s presidency and continued True Whig dominance of the national government during the late nineteenth century.

Evidence status

Classification: Contemporary narrative result. The election date, successful presidential and vice-presidential candidates, third-term outcome, and nationwide Whig victory are documented. Detailed numerical returns remain under archival review.

Primary source