Edward James Roye

Edward James Roye ( born February 3, 1815 in Newark, Ohio; † February 12, 1872 in Monrovia, Liberia ) was an American- Liberian politician and President of Liberia.

Roye was born into a wealthy family in Newark (Ohio ). He emigrated in 1846 from Liberia and has been dealer. Roye 1849 rose in politics and in 1870 in the midst of a state budget crisis president. In 1871, he was overthrown and replaced by his vice-president James Skivring Smith.

He was put on trial for irregularities in the issuance of government debt securities, but managed to escape. It is believed that he drowned on February 12, 1872, when he tried to board an English ship in the port of Monrovia. Maybe he died from the effects of it by trying to escape inflicted injuries or drowned.

Built in the 1970s, Edward J. Roye Building in Monrovia was a government building and was named after him.