Later election chronologies identify a Liberian presidential election in 1939 and report that President Edwin Barclay of the True Whig Party was returned unopposed. The surviving evidence reviewed so far is not fully consistent, so this record preserves the claim while clearly identifying the unresolved question.
Reported presidential election
The African Elections Database lists a 1939 presidential election, with Edwin Barclay reelected without opposition and no available registration, turnout, or vote figures.
Why the chronology is disputed
Accounts of the 7 May 1935 election and constitutional referendum state that the presidential term was extended from four years to eight years. Some of those accounts say the change moved the next presidential election to 1943. That conflicts with later chronologies that place another presidential election in 1939.
What is established
Edwin Barclay remained president throughout 1939 and continued in office until William V. S. Tubman succeeded him in January 1944. Liberia’s Legislature was active during the 1939–1940 session, but the records reviewed for this entry do not yet provide a certified presidential return.
Evidence status
Chronology under review: the event appears in established secondary election lists, but Liberia Civic has not yet located a contemporaneous official return sufficient to reconcile the 1935 term amendment with the reported 1939 contest. No numerical result is presented.
Research needed
Priority evidence includes Liberian election proclamations, legislative journals, contemporary newspapers, diplomatic dispatches, and the official certification or inauguration record.