Antoinette Tubman
Antoinette Louise Padmore Tubman (24 February 1914 – 18 May 2011) was the wife of the Liberian politician William S. Tubman and the First Lady of Liberia from 1948 to 1971.
Antoinette Tubman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First Lady of Liberia | |
| In office 17 September 1948 – 23 January 1971 | |
| President | William Tubman |
| Preceded by | Euphemia Barclay |
| Succeeded by | Victoria Tolbert |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Antoinette Louise Padmore 24 February 1914 Monrovia, Liberia |
| Died | 18 May 2011 (aged 97) |
| Spouse | William Tubman (1948–1971; his death) |
| Children | 1 |
Biography
Antoinette Padmore was born in Monrovia on 24 February 1914.[1] Her parents were James Stanley Padmore and Mary Louise Barclay-Padmore, who has both emigrated from Barbados.[2] Her mother died when she was young, as a result she was brought up by her aunt Elizabeth Barclay-Sherman.[2] She was educated at Bromley Mission, an episcopal school, then moved to Paris to study fashion.[2] On her return she opened the first school of fashion and modelling in Monrovia.[2] She married William Tubman on 17 September 1948.[2] She was his third wife.[3] They had one daughter, Wilhemina Tubman-Tucker.[2]
Work as First Lady
Tubman was First Lady of Liberia from her marriage in 1948 to the death of her husband in 1971.[1] In the Executive Mansion she set up a museum with artefacts relating to her husband's presidency as well as previous ones.[2] More significantly, Tubman used her influential role as First Lady raise funds and awareness for philanthropic and humanitarian causes, including: orphans, the homeless, the mentally ill.[2] In August 1957, a new orphanage funded by the Antoinette Tubman Children's Welfare Foundation was opened in Virginia.[4] In 1958 she set up a charity dedicated to fund-raising for a new hospital for the mentally ill in Monrovia.[4] She was president of the Social Services Association.[2] She was noted for her involvement in political life.[5]
After her husband's death in July 1971, his estimated fortune of $220 million (~$1.14 billion in 2021) made her one of the richest women in the world.[6] She established the William V S Tubman Memorial Museum on their estate, east of Monrovia in Totota, based on the collection she founded early in their marriage.[7]
As well as being First Lady, Tubman also ran two businesses: a motel and restaurant called Coocoo's Nest; a plantation and roasters called Wilmetco Coffee.[2]
She died on 18 May 2011.[1] She was buried on 11 June 2011 at the United Methodist Church, Monrovia.[8]
Legacy
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The sports stadium in Monrovia was named the Antoinette Tubman Stadium in her honor.[8]
Awards
1956 - Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
References
- "Mrs. Antoinette Louise Tubman, Former First Lady of the Republic of Liberia, is dead". www.mofa.gov.lr. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- Dunn, D. Elwood. (2001). Historical dictionary of Liberia : D. Elwood Dunn, Amos J. Beyan, Carl Patrick Burrowes. Beyan, Amos Jones., Burrowes, Carl Patrick. (2nd ed.). Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. p. 336. ISBN 978-1-4616-5931-0. OCLC 860625596.
- Wreh, Tuan (1976). The love of liberty: the rule of President William V. S. Tubman in Liberia, 1944-1971. C. Hurst. ISBN 9780876632758.
- Liberia Today. Liberian Embassy in Washington. 1956. p. 4.
- Brooks, Angie E. (1968). "Political Participation of Women in Africa South of the Sahara". The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. 375 (1): 82–85. doi:10.1177/000271626837500112. ISSN 0002-7162. S2CID 154658084.
- Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. 18 November 1971.
- Ebony. Johnson Publishing Company. 1974.
- "'A Woman of Noble Character': Antoinette Tubman, Former First Lady, Buried :: FrontPageAfricaonline.com - All Things Africa 24/7". 2 February 2013. Archived from the original on 2 February 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2020.