LIBERIA CIVIC HISTORICAL RECORD
Liberia held a general election in May 1919, selecting the administration that would govern the country after the First World War.
Presidential election
Charles Dunbar Burgess King of the True Whig Party won the presidency. King had served as secretary of state under President Daniel Edward Howard and was participating in Liberia’s international diplomacy following the war when he was elected.
Vice-presidential election
Samuel Alfred Ross was elected as King’s running mate. King and Ross were inaugurated on 5 January 1920, completing the peaceful transfer of executive authority from the Howard administration.
Party nomination and succession
At the True Whig Party convention, King competed for the presidential nomination against former vice president James Jenkins Dossen. King secured the nomination and subsequently won the general election. Accessible summaries reviewed for this record do not identify an opposition nominee in the final presidential contest.
Legislative election
The vote formed part of a general election that also selected legislators. Candidate-level returns, constituency totals, turnout, and reliable party-seat figures have not yet been located in accessible sources.
Historical significance
The election began Charles D. B. King’s decade in the presidency. His administration later became associated with the Firestone concession, international financial negotiations, disputed elections, and the forced-labor controversy that culminated in his resignation in 1930.
Evidence status
Classification: Winner, party, vice president, election month, succession, and inauguration documented; numerical returns unavailable.
Vote totals, registered voters, turnout, invalid ballots, any final opposition ticket, and detailed legislative results remain under archival review.