Liberia Civic verified historical record
Liberia’s first general election as an independent republic was held on 27 September 1847, alongside a vote on the new Constitution.
Presidential election
Joseph Jenkins Roberts, the former governor and Pro-Administration candidate, defeated Samuel Benedict of the Anti-Administration group. Surviving accounts report that Benedict received ten votes, but a complete certified national presidential tally has not yet been located for this archive.
Nathaniel Brander was elected vice president in a separate vote. Roberts and Brander were inaugurated on 3 January 1848.
Legislative elections
The election also selected members of the new bicameral Legislature. Surviving records identify John B. Gripon and John N. Lewis as senators for Montserrado County, with D. B. Brown, William Draper, J. B. McGill, and Daniel Bashiel Warner elected to the House of Representatives.
Constitutional referendum
Voters considered the Constitution establishing an executive presidency, a Senate, and a House of Representatives. The surviving settlement-level account records 214 votes in favor and 58 against. Participation was limited by the citizenship and property qualifications of the period.
Recorded referendum votes by settlement include Monrovia 111–0, Caldwell 22–6, New Georgia 31–3, Millsburg 21–0, Sinoe 0–37, Marshall 4–12, Bassa Cove 9–0, and Bexley 16–0.
Historical significance
The vote established the elected institutions of the new republic. Roberts became Liberia’s first president, while the Constitution remained the country’s governing framework—with amendments—until it was suspended after the 1980 coup.
Evidence status
Classification: Partial historical results. The date, principal candidates, winner, vice president, inauguration, and referendum totals are documented. A complete certified presidential tally and full nationwide legislative return remain subjects for archival research.
Sources
- Library of Congress — History of Liberia timeline
- Charles Henry Huberich, The Political and Legislative History of Liberia (1947), pp. 844–846.
- Nathaniel R. Richardson, Liberia’s Past and Present (1959).