Antoinette Tubman

Antoinette Tubman
First Lady of Liberia
In office 17 September 1948 – 23 July 1971
President	William Tubman
Preceded by	Euphemia Barclay
Succeeded by	Victoria Tolbert
Personal details
Born	Antoinette Louise Padmore (1914-02-24)24 February 1914 Monrovia, Liberia
Died	18 May 2011(2011-05-18) (aged 97) Monrovia, Liberia
Spouse	William Tubman (1948–1971; his death)
Children	1

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.

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 (~$1.27 billion in 2023) 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

Antoinette Tubman Stadium, Monrovia

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.^[citation needed]

References

1. "Mrs. Antoinette Louise Tubman, Former First Lady of the Republic of Liberia, is dead". www.mofa.gov.lr. Archived from the original on 14 March 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
2. 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.
3. Wreh, Tuan (1976). The love of liberty: the rule of President William V. S. Tubman in Liberia, 1944-1971. C. Hurst. ISBN 9780876632758.
4. Liberia Today. Liberian Embassy in Washington. 1956. p. 4.
5. 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.
6. Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. 18 November 1971.
7. Ebony. Johnson Publishing Company. 1974.
8. "'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.