Edward Wilmot Blyden - A Biographical Outline


1832, August 3

Born in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands

1842-1844

Family lives in Porto Bello, Venezuela

1850 May

Visits US and attempts to enroll in Theological College but is rejected.

1850 December

Emigrates to Liberia

1851 October

Enrolls at Alexander High School, Monrovia

1855-1856

Editor Liberia Herald

1856

Publishes A Voice From Bleeding Africa, the first of many pamphlets

1858

Ordained as a Presbyterian clergyman and becomes Principal of Alexander High School.

1861

Liberian Commissioner to Britain and the United States.

1862

Liberian Commissioner to the United States to invite Negroes "back to the Fatherland".

1862-1871

Professor of Classics at Liberia College.

1864-1866

Secretary of State of Liberia

1866 July-September

Visits Egypt, Lebanon and Syria.

1872-1873

Founder and Editor of The Negro newspaper in Freetown, Sierra Leone and Government Agent of the Interior.

1875-1877

Principal of Alexander High School at Harrisburg, Liberia.

1877-1880

Liberian Ambassador to the Court of St. James, London, United Kingdom.

1880-1884

President of Liberia College, and concurrently Minister of the Interior until 1882.

1885

Unsuccessful Liberian Presidential candidate; emigrates to Sierra Leone.

1886 September

Resigns from the Presbyterian Church to become `Minister of Truth'.

1887

First publication of Christianity, Islam and the Negro Race.

1889/90 August-March

Seventh visit to the USA; two month tour of the "Deep South".

1890/91 December-Jan

First visit to Lagos.

1892

Liberian Ambassador to Court of St. James, United Kingdom.

1894 April-July

Second visit to Lagos, Nigeria.

1895 July-September

Eighth and last visit to USA.

1896-1897

Agent of Native Affairs, Lagos, Nigeria.

1898-1899

Teacher, Freetown, Sierra Leone.

1900-1901

Professor at Liberia College.

1901-1906

Director of Mohammedan Education in Sierra Leone.

1905 June-September

Liberian Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary to United Kingdom and France.

1906-1912

Retirement in Freetown Sierra Leone.

1912 February 7

Died in Freetown and buried at the Race Course Cemetery.


This outline was originally compiled by Jennifer Ryan of the Caribbean Radio Network for a radio series on the life of EWB.


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