Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

@Africa’s First Elected Female Head of State, Family and Family ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the current President of Liberia; she is Africa’s first elected female head of state Nobel Peace Prize Harvard University Leaders Political Leaders Presidents Scorpio Celebrities Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the current President of Liberia. She is Africa’s first elected female head of state, famously dubbed as the ‘Iron Lady of Africa’. An economist by training, she assumed office in 2006 as the first democratically elected female president in postcolonial Africa. Previously she had run for the post of senate, vice-president and president in Liberia and also raised her voice against the unjust rule of military regimes. She spent much of her political career in exile trying to increase international awareness about the chaos and violence that was consuming her country. Throughout her career, she demonstrated passionate commitment to good governance, advocating for the rights of women and the importance of education to provide a better future for her country and its people. Upon becoming the president, she made considerable progress, notably to relieve Liberia from its crushing foreign debt. She also worked towards the liberation of African women, who have long borne the brunt of the violence, instability, and poverty that plagued the continent. She personified the nation's ability to recover from the long nightmare of civil war and has been righteously honored with the ‘Nobel Prize for Peace’ for her sincere efforts. She has revived national hope by strengthening the institutions of national security, leading the revitalization of the national economy, and restoring Liberia’s international reputation and credibility.

Personal Details

Birthday: October 29, 1938 Nationality: Liberian Famous: Africa’s First Elected Female Head of State, Nobel Peace Prize, Harvard University, Leaders, Political Leaders, Presidents Nick names: Iron Lady of Africa Spouses: James Sirleaf Childrens: Charles Sirleaf, Fombah Sirleaf, Robert Sirleaf Universities: Harvard University 1971 - Harvard University 1970 - University of Colorado Boulder College of West Africa 1964 - University of Wisconsin-Madison John F. Kennedy School of Government Wisconsin School of Business Information Detail Birthday October 29, 1938 Nationality Liberian Famous Africa’s First Elected Female Head of State, Nobel Peace Prize, Harvard University, Leaders, Political Leaders, Presidents Nick names Iron Lady of Africa Spouses James Sirleaf Childrens Charles Sirleaf, Fombah Sirleaf, Robert Sirleaf Universities Harvard University 1971 - Harvard University 1970 - University of Colorado Boulder College of West Africa 1964 - University of Wisconsin-Madison John F. Kennedy School of Government Wisconsin School of Business Notable Alumnis Harvard University Founder / Co-Founder Truth and Reconciliation Commission Birth Place Monrovia Religion Methodism, Christianity Gender Female Father Jahmale Carney Johnson Net Worth $1.2 Billion as of Feb 5,2017 Sun Sign Scorpio Born in Monrovia Famous as Africa’s First Elected Female Head of State

Monrovia

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf born at Unsplash Birth Place

In 1956, at the age of 17, she married James Sirleaf. They had four sons together and divorced later on. Unsplash Personal Life

She was born on October 29, 1938, in Monrovia, Liberia, to Jahmale Carney Johnson, a lawyer, and his wife, a teacher. Her father belonged to ‘Gola’ community while her mother was of mixed Kru and German ancestry. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

From 1948 to 1955, she studied at the College of West Africa. In 1961, she went to the United States and earned an associate degree in accounting from Madison Business College, Wisconsin. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

From 1969 to 1971, she studied economics and public policy at Harvard's ‘John F. Kennedy School of Government’ and earned a Masters of Public Administration degree. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

Upon completing her studies, she returned to her native Liberia and became the Assistant Minister of Finance under the government of William Tolbert in 1972 but resigned after a year. Unsplash Career

After Tolbert’s assassination and execution of most of the cabinet by Samuel K. Doe in 1980, she initially accepted a post in the new government as ‘President of the Liberian Bank for Development and Investment’. Unsplash Career

In 1981, she moved to Nairobi to serve as the Vice President of the African Regional Office of Citibank, a post she held for four years. She resigned from Citibank following her involvement in the 1985 general election in Liberia and went to work for Equator Bank, a subsidiary of HSBC. Unsplash Career

In 1992, she was appointed the Director of the ‘United Nations Development Programme's Regional Bureau for Africa’ at the rank of Assistant Administrator and Assistant Secretary General (ASG). In 1997 she resigned from the post to run for the president in the general elections in Liberia. Unsplash Career

She ran as the presidential candidate from the United Party against Charles Taylor and was placed second, getting one-fourth of the total votes in the controversial election. As a result, she left the country soon after and went into exile. Unsplash Career

In 2006, she became the recipient of ‘Common Ground Award’ and the ‘Africa Prize for Leadership for the Sustainable End of Hunger’. The same year, she also received the ‘David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership Award’. Unsplash Awards & Achievements

In 2007, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award given by the United States. Unsplash Awards & Achievements

In 2010, she was presented with the ‘Friend of the Media in Africa Award’ by The African Editor's Union. Unsplash Awards & Achievements

In 2011, she was conferred with the ‘Nobel Prize for Peace’, which she shared with Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman. The award was given "for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work". Unsplash Awards & Achievements

In 2012, she received the ‘Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development’. The same year, she was awarded France’s highest award and public distinction, the Grand Croix of the Légion d’Honneur. Unsplash Awards & Achievements

Information	Detail
Birthday	October 29, 1938
Nationality	Liberian
Famous	Africa’s First Elected Female Head of State, Nobel Peace Prize, Harvard University, Leaders, Political Leaders, Presidents
Nick names	Iron Lady of Africa
Spouses	James Sirleaf
Childrens	Charles Sirleaf, Fombah Sirleaf, Robert Sirleaf
Universities	Harvard University 1971 - Harvard University 1970 - University of Colorado Boulder College of West Africa 1964 - University of Wisconsin-Madison John F. Kennedy School of Government Wisconsin School of Business
Notable Alumnis	Harvard University
Founder / Co-Founder	Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Birth Place	Monrovia
Religion	Methodism, Christianity
Gender	Female
Father	Jahmale Carney Johnson
Net Worth	$1.2 Billion as of Feb 5,2017
Sun Sign	Scorpio
Born in	Monrovia
Famous as	Africa’s First Elected Female Head of State

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Liberian

Oct 29, 1938

Biography

Personal Details

Monrovia