Vice President of Liberia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vice President of the Republic of Liberia
Coat of arms of Liberia
Incumbent Jeremiah Koung since January 22, 2024
Style	Mr. Vice President (Informal) His Excellency (Formal)
Term length	Six years
Inaugural holder	Nathaniel Brander January 3, 1848
Formation	1847 Constitution of Liberia July 26, 1847

The vice president of the Republic of Liberia is the second-highest executive official in Liberia, and one of only two elected executive offices along with the president. The vice president is elected on the same ticket with the president to a six-year term. In the event of the death, resignation or removal of the president, the vice president ascends to the presidency, and holds the position for the remainder of their predecessor's term. The vice president also serves as the president of the Senate and may cast a vote in the event of a tie. The current vice president is Jeremiah Koung, serving under president Joseph Boakai. He began his term on January 22, 2024.

Qualifications

Article 52 of the Constitution lays out the qualifications for candidates for vice president. To be eligible for office under the current Constitution, a vice presidential candidate must:

• be a natural born citizen of Liberia;
• be at least thirty-five years old;
• own real property valued at least $25,000;
• have resided in Liberia for at least ten years.

Additionally, the vice president may not reside in the same county as the president.

Succession

Under Article 63(b), the vice president ascends to the presidency in the event of president's death, resignation, impeachment, or when the president is declared incapable of carrying out the duties of the office. In the event of ascension, the vice president serves as president for the remainder of their predecessor's term, though this period is not considered a term for the purposes of term limits to the presidency. According to Article 63(a), should the president-elect die or become otherwise incapacitated before his or her inauguration, the vice president-elect is sworn in as president in their place, though a term of this nature does constitute a term for the purposes of determining term limits.

To date, five vice presidents have ascended to the presidency, either due to the president's death, resignation, or removal from office: James Skivring Smith, Alfred Francis Russell, William D. Coleman, William Tolbert, and Moses Blah.

There have been twelve vacancies in the office, the first of which occurred between October 26, 1871 and January 1, 1872; after the ascension of James Skivring Smith to the office of president. The most recent vacancy was between August 11, 2003 and January 16, 2006; after the ascension of Moses Blah to the office of president and prior to the election of Joseph Boakai.

List of officeholders

Political parties

     Republican Party      True Whig Party      National Democratic Party      National Patriotic Party      Unity Party

Other factions

     Independent

Symbols

Died in office

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party	Elected	President		Notes
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Nathaniel Brander (1796–1870)	January 3, 1848	January 7, 1850	2 years, 4 days	Independent	1847		Roberts
2		Anthony D. Williams (1799–1860)	January 7, 1850	January 2, 1854	3 years, 360 days	Independent	1849
							1851
3		Stephen Allen Benson (1816–1865)	January 2, 1854	January 7, 1856	2 years, 5 days	Independent	1853
4		Beverly Page Yates (1811–1883)	January 7, 1856	January 2, 1860	3 years, 360 days	Independent	1855		Benson
							1857
5		Daniel Bashiel Warner (1815–1880)	January 2, 1860	January 4, 1864	4 years, 2 days	Independent	1859
							1861
6		James M. Priest (1819–1883)	January 4, 1864	January 6, 1868	4 years, 2 days	Republican Party	1863		Warner
							1865
7		Joseph Gibson (1823–1886)	January 6, 1868	January 3, 1870	1 year, 362 days	Republican Party	1867		Payne
8		James Skivring Smith (1825–1884)	January 3, 1870	October 26, 1871 (Ascended)	1 year, 296 days	True Whig Party	1869		Roye
Vacancy by ascension			October 26, 1871	January 1, 1872					Smith
9		Anthony W. Gardiner (1820–1885)	January 1, 1872	January 3, 1876	4 years, 2 days	Republican Party	1871		Roberts
							1873
10		Charles Harmon (1832–1886)	January 3, 1876	January 7, 1878	2 years, 4 days	Republican Party	1875		Payne
11		Alfred Francis Russell (1817–1884)	January 7, 1878	January 20, 1883 (Ascended)	5 years, 13 days	True Whig Party	1877		Gardiner
							1879
							1881
Vacancy by ascension			January 20, 1883	January 7, 1884					Russell
12		James Thompson (?–?)	January 7, 1884	January 4, 1892	7 years, 362 days	True Whig Party	1883		Johnson
							1885
							1887
							1889
13		William D. Coleman (1842–1908)	January 4, 1892	November 12, 1896 (Ascended)	4 years, 313 days	True Whig Party	1891		Cheeseman
							1893
							1895
Vacancy by ascension			November 12, 1896	January 3, 1898					Coleman
14		Joseph J. Ross (1842–1899)	January 3, 1898	October 24, 1899	1 year, 294 days	True Whig Party	1897
							1899
Vacancy by death			October 24, 1899	January 6, 1902
									Gibson
15		Joseph D. Summerville (1860–1905)	January 6, 1902	July 27, 1905	3 years, 202 days	True Whig Party	1901
							1903		A. Barclay
Vacancy by death			July 27, 1905	January 1, 1906
16		James Jenkins Dossen (1866–1924)	January 1, 1906	January 1, 1912	6 years	True Whig Party	1905
							1907
17		Samuel George Harmon (1861–1925)	January 1, 1912	January 5, 1920	8 years, 4 days	True Whig Party	1911		Howard
							1915
18		Samuel Alfred Ross (1870–1929)	January 5, 1920	January 1, 1924	3 years, 361 days	True Whig Party	1919		King
19		Henry Too Wesley (1877–1944)	January 1, 1924	January 2, 1928	4 years, 1 day	True Whig Party	1923
20		Allen Yancy (1881–1941)	January 2, 1928	December 3, 1930 (Resigned)	2 years, 335 days	True Whig Party	1927
Vacancy by resignation			December 3, 1930	1930					E. Barclay
21		James Skivring Smith Jr. (1891–1950)	1930	January 3, 1944	13–14 years	True Whig Party
							1931
							1939
22		Clarence Lorenzo Simpson (1896–1969)	January 3, 1944	January 1, 1952	7 years, 363 days	True Whig Party	1943		Tubman
23		William Tolbert (1913–1980)	January 1, 1952	July 23, 1971 (Ascended)	19 years, 203 days	True Whig Party	1951
							1955
							1959
							1963
							1967
Vacancy by ascension			July 23, 1971	April 1972			1971		Tolbert
24		James Edward Greene (1914–1977)	April 1972	July 22, 1977	5 years, 112 days	True Whig Party
							1975
Vacancy by death			July 22, 1977	October 31, 1977
25		Bennie Dee Warner (born 1935)	October 31, 1977	April 12, 1980 (Deposed)	2 years, 164 days	True Whig Party
Vacancy due to People's Redemption Council			April 12, 1980	January 6, 1986
26		Harry Moniba (1937–2004)	January 6, 1986	September 9, 1990 (Deposed)	4 years, 246 days	National Democratic Party	1985		Doe
Vacancy due to First Liberian Civil War			September 9, 1990	August 2, 1997
27		Enoch Dogolea (1951–2000)	August 2, 1997	June 24, 2000	2 years, 327 days	National Patriotic Party	1997		Taylor
Vacancy by death			June 24, 2000	July 24, 2000
28		Moses Blah (1947–2013)	July 24, 2000	August 11, 2003	3 years, 18 days	National Patriotic Party
Vacancy by ascension			August 11, 2003	October 3, 2003					Blah
Vacancy due to Accra Peace Agreement			October 3, 2003	January 16, 2006
29		Joseph Boakai (born 1944)	January 16, 2006	January 22, 2018	12 years, 6 days	Unity Party	2005		Sirleaf
							2011
30		Jewel Taylor (born 1963)	January 22, 2018	January 22, 2024	6 years	National Patriotic Party	2017		Weah
31		Jeremiah Koung (born 1978)	January 22, 2024	Incumbent	304 days	Unity Party	2023		Boakai

Timeline

See also

In Spanish: Vicepresidente de Liberia para niños

• Lists of office-holders
• List of current vice presidents