Joseph Summerville (May 4, 1860 – July 27, 1905) was a politician who served as the 15th vice president of the African country of Liberia from 1902 to 1905, under the presidencies of G. W. Gibson and Arthur Barclay. He is the the only Liberian vice president to served under two different presidential administrations.
Early Life
Joseph Summerville was born on May 4, 1860, in the town of Buchanan, located in Central Liberia.
Early Career
Originally trained as a clerk, Summerville worked for American and British foreign trade businesses that existed in Liberia. In 1887, he was elected to a single term in the Liberian House of Representatives. After he left office in 1889, he would served in the Liberian militia
Due to his service in the militia, he was given the Order of African Redemption by President Joseph J. Cheeseman in 1893. That same year, Summerville was elected to the Liberian Senate.
In 1898, President William Coleman appointed Summerville as the governor of Grand Bassa County.
Vice Presidency
In the 1901 presidential election, Summerville was elected vice president alongside G. W. Gibson, the incumbent president. Despite Gibson’s retirement in 1903, Summerville was kept by President Arthur Barclay for his 1903 and 1905 campaigns.
Death
Prior to taking his third vice presidential term, on July 27, 1905, Joseph Summerville passed away at the age of 45.
Since the Liberian constitution had no provision for a vice presidential replacement, President Arthur Barclay would have been forced to have no vice president during his term. As a result, a subsequent amendment was passed, allowing for a special election to be held in the event that the office of vice president become vacant.