Doe, Samuel K

Doe, Samuel K(anyon)

(born May 6, 1950/51, Tuzon, Liberia—died Sept. 9/10, 1990, Monrovia) Liberian soldier and head of state (1980–90). A member of the Krahn ethnic group, Doe led a coup in 1980 that overthrew Pres. William R. Tolbert (b. 1913—d. 1980). He suspended Liberia's constitution until 1984, and in 1985 he won a presidential election widely denounced as fraudulent. His regime was considered corrupt and brutal, and his life was continually threatened by assassination attempts. In the civil war that broke out in 1989, Doe was captured and killed.