Liberia: Resilient Uncle

Like the long-lasting tire rubber that comes out of his country, President William Vacanarat Shadrach Tubman of Liberia, 72, has proved to be mighty resilient. He first took office in 1944 and, in his inauguration speech in 1964, intimated that he hoped to bow out as President after his fifth term. But Tubman has become fond of inaugurations. Last May he again ran for reelection, this time without even the usual token opponent. As he begins his 25th year this week, Tubman has some claim to being called an elder statesman. Among the notables due in Monrovia for his New Year's Day inauguration to a sixth term was U.S. Vice President Hubert Humphrey.

Despite the fact that Liberian politics are not exactly democratic—Tub-man's True Whig Party has no effective opposition—"Uncle Shad" has never kept himself aloof from his people. He hears hundreds of petitions each week in his $6,000,000 sun-reflector-coated palace, settles even minor matters in his government, including the marital disputes of his staff. He finds time to dance a spry quadrille at soirees in the palace and is much less a stickler than he used to be about top hats and cutaways at state functions; at a dam dedication last year, he allowed the men to wear dark suits.

One reason that Tubman seems so indispensable to some Liberians is that few possible successors are in sight. The most prominent candidate: William "Shad" Tubman Jr., 34, Harvard-bred member of Liberia's most influential public relations firm.