Brief Sketch on the Life and Character of the Late Hon. Benj. J. K. Anderson, M.A. Ph.D. K.C.
I
Benjamin Anderson (1835-1910), Liberia's great explorer of the nineteenth century, was at the forefront of encouraging the government to establish a viable economic and political presence in the deep interior. Anderson migrated from Baltimore, Maryland, when he was sixteen years old, and became a three-time Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of the Interior, mathematics professor, official surveyor, diplomat, military officer, and accomplished cartographer. He is most noted for having traveled to the fabled town of Musadu in today's Guinea. Musadu seemed to hold much promise to enrich the young colony because of its supposed natural resources such as gold, a strong political base, and connections to the interior trade routes that extended to the Niger River and beyond.
Primary source information about Anderson's life comes from his own writings, scattered publications, and archival materials. The most complete contemporary account—published here—is an obituary that an unknown author wrote shortly after Anderson died. The obituary was located in the Frederick Starr Papers (Box 9, Folder 9) in the Department of Special Collections at the University of Chicago's Regenstein Library in 2000. It is typed on 8 ?? x 14? paper with "Republic of Liberia, Montserrado County, Superintendents Office" pre-printed on the back of each sheet.2 This paper's title is the same as the original title of the obituary.3 The document [End Page 43] gives several interesting bits of information about Anderson's life that are not found in any other sources, and contains considerable data that can be independently confirmed.4
Capitalization, punctuation, and spelling have been retained, except where noted, and the original pagination is indicated by brackets. Annotations offer explanatory notes and other information that confirm, differ with, or add new data. It should be noted that, because this obituary was written to honor Benjamin Anderson, some of the less glamorous aspects of his life are not mentioned, such as his impeachment as Secretary of the Treasury in 1879.
Obituary
Benjamin Joseph Knight Anderson, son of Israel and Henrietta Anderson, was free born in the City of Baltimore, State of Maryland, United States of America, January fourth 1835, and died in the City of Monrovia June 27th, 1910 age seventy five years five months and twenty three days old.5 [End Page 44]
Click for larger view | Figure 1 |
He was brought up in the brick yards of Baltimore where he learned to make bricks.6
He attended the private primary schools of Baltimore, but so strong was the race prejudice against Negroes obtaining an education, even in the North, that while attending school he was very often sneered and beaten by white men which he as often resented by flogging some white lad, for which reasons his mother thought best to leave America with him fearing something serious might happen, and thus cost his life. She accordingly emigrated to Liberia with him, his father remaining in America, in the Ship "Liberia-Packet", in December 1851 arriving at Monrovia April 1852;7 settling in Virginia a settlement on the St. Paul River, he being seveteen years of age.8
They had as fellow passengers on the voyage the late Hon. Asbury F. Johns of this City, who became interested in young Anderson, and engaged his services as clerk in a business which he was to establish on his arrival to Liberia.9 He accordingly was employed by Mr. Johns with whom he worked quite a while receiving as wages four dollars per month with which he assisted in supporting his mother.
At the same time Anderson attended the M.E. Seminary, now known as (the College of West Africa) which at that time [was] taught by the late Prof J.W. Horn. He was a clever student...
