Person

Samuel Doe

1951–1990 · 20th century · Also known as Samuel Kanyon Doe

Samuel Doe was a Liberian army master sergeant of Krahn origin who seized power in a coup in April 1980, killing President William Tolbert and ending more than a century of Americo-Liberian rule. He ruled as head of state and from 1986 as president, amid rigged elections and ethnic repression. Rebels invaded in 1989, and in 1990 he was captured and killed by Prince Johnson's faction.

Samuel Doe
Image: Photographer: Frank Hall, Treatment: Frank C. Müller · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 profile

LiberiaMilitary, Decline, Summary

Mentioned in 1 state history

Liberia

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Samuel Doe. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/samuel-doe
MLA
“Samuel Doe.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/samuel-doe. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Samuel Doe.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/samuel-doe.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Samuel Doe’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/samuel-doe (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻