death_date children birth_date term_end death_place order term_start spouse image name vicepresident predecessor birth_place president party office successor religion article_title
12 april 1980 8 13 may 1913 12 april 1980 23 july 1971 monrovia , liberia 20th 23rd 23 july 1971 1 january 1952 victoria a. david william r. tolbert , jr. . jpg william r. tolbert , jr. . vacant -rrb- bennie dee warner -lrb- 1977-1980 -rrb- -lrb- 1971-1972 -rrb- james edward greene -lrb- 1972-1977 william tubman clarence simpson bensonville , liberia william tubman true whig president of liberia vice president of liberia samuel doe james edward greene baptist william r. tolbert , jr. .

william r. tolbert , jr. .

william richard tolbert , jr. -lrb- may 13 , 1913 -- april 12 , 1980 -rrb- was the 20th president of liberia from 1971 until 1980 , when he was killed in a coup d'état .
trained as a civil servant , he entered the country 's house of representatives in 1943 for the true whig party , then the only established party in the country .
he was elected vice president to william tubman in 1952 and served in that position until tubman 's death in 1971 .
