Antoinette Tubman

Antoinette Louise Padmore Tubman (24 February 191418 May 2011) was the wife of the Liberian politician William S. Tubman and the First Lady of Liberia from 1948 to 1971.

Biography Antoinette Padmore was born in Monrovia on 24 February 1914. Her parents were James Stanley Padmore and Mary Louise Barclay-Padmore, who had both emigrated from Barbados. Her mother died when she was young, as a result she was brought up by her aunt Elizabeth Barclay-Sherman. They had one daughter, Wilhemina Tubman-Tucker. In 1958 she set up a charity dedicated to fund-raising for a new hospital for the mentally ill in Monrovia.

After her husband's death in July 1971, his estimated fortune of $220 million (~$ in ) made her one of the richest women in the world. She established the William V S Tubman Memorial Museum on their estate, east of Monrovia in Totota, based on the collection she founded early in their marriage.

As well as being First Lady, Tubman also ran two businesses: a motel and restaurant called Coocoo's Nest; a plantation and roasters called Wilmetco Coffee.

Legacy

The sports stadium in Monrovia was named the Antoinette Tubman Stadium in her honor.

Awards 1956 - Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.