Joseph Rudolph Grimes (October 31, 1923 – September 7, 2007) was a Liberian statesman. A trained lawyer, he served as Secretary of State from 1960 to 1972.

Grimes with David Ben-Gurion at the Israeli Prime Minister's Office in West Jerusalem, 1963.

Early life

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Grimes was born on October 31, 1923, to Louis Arthur Grimes and Victoria Grimes.[1] He was educated at the College of West Africa (now Methodist University of Liberia) before graduating from Liberia College (now University of Liberia) with a Bachelor of Arts degree.[1] Grimes then attended Harvard Law School in the United States where he earned a law degree, followed by a master's degree from Columbia University in New York City in international affairs.[1]

Career

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Following his education in America, he returned to Liberia where he founded the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law at the now University of Liberia.[1] Named after his father, the younger Grimes served as the first dean starting in 1951.[1]

In 1958, he was appointed as the Acting Secretary of State of Liberia.[1] In 1960, he was appointed Secretary of State by President William Tubman. Serving until 1971, he is the longest serving foreign minister in Liberian history.[1] He was preceded by Momolu Dukuly and was succeeded by Rocheforte Lafayette Weeks.

Later years

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He was elected in 1975 to membership in the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs of the World Council of Churches (CCIA/WCC) and served as its Vice-Moderator until 1983. He was engaged as its Special advisor on African Affairs and representative to the United Nations in New York in 1993–1994.[2]

Joseph Rudolph Grimes died on September 7, 2007,[3] at his home in Guttenberg, New Jersey, at the age of 83.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h James, Abraham L. (October 19, 2007). "The Life And Legacy Of Secretary Of State J. Rudolph Grimes". The Perspective. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
  2. ^ Archives of the World Council of Churches, Geneva, Switzerland
  3. ^ "J. Rudolph Grimes is Dead - Liberian Observer". Archived from the original on 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2007-10-01. Liberian Observer
Political offices
Preceded by Secretary of State of Liberia
1960–1972
Succeeded byas Minister of Foreign Affairs of Liberia