Clarence Lorenzo Simpson
Clarence Lorenzo Simpson (1896–1969) was a politician in Liberia. He was Secretary of State during much of World War II (1934–1943) under President Edwin Barclay.
Early Life
Clarence Lorenzo Simpson was born in Liberia to Alpha D. Simpson and Kamah. Alpha D. Simpson was a son of John Simpson, a Florida-born ex-slave and Julia Ann Simpson, nee Russell, a daughter of President Alfred Francis Russell.
Political Career
Before becoming Secretary of State, Simpson served as Post Master General and Speaker of the Liberian House of Representatives from 1931–1934. After leaving the Department of State in 1943, Simpson was one of the six candidates in that year's election; he eventually lost to William V.S. Tubman.[1] He served as the Vice President of Liberia from 1944–1952 under Tubman.
Simpson was the Liberian delegate to the League of Nations in 1934 and headed the Liberian delegation to the United Nations in 1945. Simpson also held the following positions: Ambassador to the Court of St. James-London, England; Ambassador to the United States, Washington, D.C;, Grand Master of Masons, Republic of Liberia, and Head of the National True Whig Party of Liberia, a political party which ruled Liberia for over a hundred years.
Sources
- New Liberian Ambassador, Her Only One, Lands Here Today To Take Up Post In U.S. New York Times, 20 April 1952
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Louis Arthur Grimes |
Secretary of State of Liberia 1934–1943 |
Succeeded by Gabriel Lafayette Dennis |
| Preceded by James Skivring Smith, Jr. |
Vice President of Liberia 1944–1952 |
Succeeded by William Richard Tolbert, Jr. |
