Nathaniel Brander

Nathaniel Brander (1796-?) was an American-Liberian politician and jurist who served as the first Vice President of Liberia (1848-1850), under President Joseph Jenkins Roberts.

Early life

Brander arrived in Sierra Leone from the United States on board the first colony ship sent to Africa by the American Colonization Society (ACS) in March 1820.^[1][2] In 1839, he married Harriet Waring, with whom he had one son, Albert. Waring's daughter, Jane Rose, later married Joseph Jenkins Roberts.^[2]

Career

Brander briefly served as a Colonial Agent of the ACS in 1835.^[3] From 1843 to 1847, Brander served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia.

Upon Liberia's declaration of independence, Brander was elected as the first vice president in the 1847 elections. He served as vice president to Joseph Jenkins Roberts. He served as Acting President in 1849 during Robert's diplomatic mission to the United Kingdom.^[4] Brander was challenged for the vice presidency in the 1849 elections by Secretary of State Daniel Bashiel Warner, former Colonial Agent Anthony D. Williams, and Beverly R. Wilson, a member of the Legislature. No candidate received a majority of the vote, sending the election to the House of Representatives. They elected Williams as vice president.^[5]

References

1. United States Government (1845). Tables showing the number of emigrants and recaptured Africans sent to the colony of Liberia by the government of the United States (Report). p. 319.
2. Tyler-McGraw, Marie (May 1, 2008). "Harriet Graves Waring: Reluctant Founding Mother". Virginia Emigrants to Liberia. Virginia Center for Digital History, University of Virginia. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
3. Kieh, George Klay (2008). The First Liberian Civil War: The Crises of Underdevelopment. New York: Peter Lang Publisher. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-8204-8839-4.
4. "The African Repository and Colonial Journal" 49. American Colonization Society. 1873: 337. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
5. "The African Repository and Colonial Journal" 26. American Colonization Society. 1850: 295. Retrieved October 20, 2011.