Hilary Teage | |
---|---|
1st Secretary of State of the Republic of Liberia | |
In office 1848–1850 | |
President | Joseph Jenkins Roberts |
Preceded by | Office established |
Succeeded by | John N. Lewis |
Personal details | |
Born | 1802 Virginia, United States |
Died | May 21, 1853 Monrovia, Liberia |
Profession | Merchant, journalist |
Hilary Teague (1802 – May 21, 1853), sometimes written as Hilary Teage, was a Liberian merchant, journalist, and politician in the early years of the West African nation of Liberia. A native of the state of Virginia in the United States, he was known for his oratory skills and was prominent in early Liberian colonial politics. A leading advocate for Liberian independence from the American Colonization Society, he drafted the Liberian Declaration of Independence in 1847, serving as both a senator and the first Secretary of State for the new nation in the years that followed. [1]
Teague was born free in Virginia, United States, in 1805. [2] [3] [4] His mother was Frances Teague [5] and his father Colin Teague, a former slave who became a Baptist missionary during early efforts to establish the colony of Liberia. [6] The family emigrated to West Africa in 1821. [2]
Hilary Teague also served as a Baptist minister in Monrovia and was a merchant trading in palm oil. [7] In 1835, Teague became the owner and editor of the Liberia Herald in Monrovia after John Brown Russwurm left to become governor of the Republic of Maryland. [3] As editor, Teague became a dedicated promoter of Liberian independence and combined republicanism, black nationalism, and Christianity to make his case. [8] He remained the newspaper's head until 1849, when he left to devote full attention to politics. [3]
In 1835, Teague became Colonial Secretary for the Liberian colony. In 1839, he was the clerk of the convention which presented the settlers' views to the American Colonization Society regarding constitutional reform. [3] He was later an instrumental figure at the Constitutional Convention of 1847—representing Montserrado County [9]—in both debating and ratifying the Liberian Constitution of 1847. [3] He also wrote the Liberian Declaration of Independence, which protested against the treatment of African Americans as slaves and second-class citizens in the United States. [2] Teague became the republic's first Secretary of State after Liberia declared independence in 1847. [10] [11] Teague also composed Liberia's hymn of independence. [3]
He died in Liberia on May 21, 1853, and at the time was the country's attorney general. [12] [13]
Hilary Teague liberia.