Dorothy Musuleng-Cooper
Dorothy Musuleng-Cooper | |
|---|---|
| Born | Dorothy Harriet Eugenia Cooper September 9, 1930 Arthington |
| Died | June 30, 2009 Monrovia |
| Citizenship | Liberia |
| Alma mater | San Francisco State University |
| Known for | first female Minister of Foreign Affairs in Liberia |
Dorothy Harriet Eugenia Musuleng Cooper (also known as "D-Mus," September 9, 1930 - June 30, 2009) was a Liberian educator, politician and the first woman to serve as Foreign Minister in Liberia.
Biography
Cooper was born in Arthington in Montserrado County.[1] Cooper attended San Francisco State University with a bachelor's and masters degree in Elementary Education.[1]
In 1994, she was appointed as Foreign Minister of Liberia,[2] by the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL).[3] Cooper was the first woman to hold that position in Liberia.[4] She also filled the last open spot, completing the seating of the Liberian National Transitional Government.[5] During her time as Foreign Minister, she was part of a delegation to attempt to release United Nations hostages in Sierra Leone.[6]
Prior to her appointment, she was an education minister in Charles Taylor's shadow government.[7] She had also previously served as the principal of Cuttington University College.[8]
Later, in 2001, Taylor's government established a Ministry of Gender and Development (MoGD) and appointed Cooper as the first minister to that position.[9]
Cooper had eight children.[1] She died on June 30, 2009 at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Monrovia.[4]
References
- ^ a b c "Dr. Dorothy Harriet Eugenia Musuleng Cooper 'D-Mus'". People to People: Liberia Online News. June 2009. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
- ^ Easy Prey: Child Soldiers in Liberia. New York: Human Rights Watch. 1994. p. 11. ISBN 1564321398.
- ^ Bekoe, Dorina A. (2008). Implementing Peace Agreements: Lessons from Mozambique, Angola, and Liberia. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 113. ISBN 978-0230602595.
- ^ a b "Obituary for Liberia Associate Director for Training Musuleng "D. Mus" Cooper". Peace Corps. 1 July 2009. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
- ^ Fleischman, Janet (1994). "Rights and the Civil War in Liberia". Liberian Studies Journal. 19 (2): 174. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
- ^ The Prosecutor of the Special Court v. Charles Ghankay Taylor (PDF) (court transcript). Special Court for Sierra Leone. 2008. pp. 6692–6693. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
- ^ "Warring Liberians Form Government to Rule Until Elections". Los Angeles Times. 17 August 1993. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
- ^ Ellis, Stephen (1999). The Mask of Anarchy: The Destruction of Liberia and the Religious Dimension of an African Civil War. New York: New York University Press. p. 135. ISBN 0814722199.
- ^ Kindervater, Lisa (2013). Seize the Day: Gender Politics in Liberia’s Transition to Peace and Democracy (PDF) (document). Halifax, Nova Scotia: Dalhousie University. p. 63. Retrieved 16 September 2015.