Ernest Eastman

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Theophilus Ernest Eastman (born March 27, 1927 in Monrovia , † February 28, 2011 ) was a Liberian politician , he was Foreign Minister in the Doe government from 1983 to 1986 .

Life

Theophilus Ernest Eastman , a Liberian born in Monrovia , is a descendant of a group of immigrants from the Caribbean who moved from Barbados to Sierra Leone and Liberia in 1865 . Eastman's parents lived in poor conditions on the outskirts of Monrovia near Benson Street , and his mother worked temporarily in the household of the then President Charles DB King . He spent his childhood and youth in the care of the Methodist Church on Ashmun Street and stood out for his erudition. This was followed by studies at the College of West Africa (CWA), where he obtained his university entrance qualification and, as the best in his class, a scholarship abroad. After a stay at Oberlin College , he attended the Ivy League is part of Columbia University , for financial reasons, he had to stop the study after the bachelor's degree and returned to Liberia turn of the year 1956/57.

President Tubman recognized Eastman as a suitable employee for his government team and assigned him the "Foreign Relations (Africa and Asia)" resort. It was the heyday of Liberia's international diplomatic successes. During this time, Eastman met with all important African politicians and leaders of independence movements. His duties also included preparing the All Africa People's Conference in Accra (1958) and other summits of African presidents and leaders in preparation for the founding assembly of the Organization for African Unity (OAU) in Addis Ababa in 1963 .

In the 1960s, Eastman was the Liberian ambassador in the African states of Kenya , Tanzania and Uganda, as well as in Japan . As the greatest challenge of his diplomatic career Eastman described the time as Foreign Minister (1983-1986) for the internationally ostracized Liberian President Samuel K. Doe . Until his dismissal by the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL), Eastman was also chairman of the board of directors of the Bong Mining Company .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c J. Burgess Carter: Liberia's Foremost Diplomat Emeritus, T. Earnest Eastman, Speaks to Observer ( Memento of September 28, 2011 in the Internet Archive ). In: Liberian Observer , August 24, 2009 (English)
personal data
SURNAME Eastman, Ernest
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Eastman, Theophilus Ernest (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Liberian politician and foreign minister
DATE OF BIRTH March 27, 1927
PLACE OF BIRTH Monrovia
DATE OF DEATH February 28, 2011