{{Short description|Liberian judge (1942–2020)}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Chea Cheapoo | image = CheaCheapoo.png | image_size = | caption = | office = 15th Chief Justice of Liberia | term_start = July 1987 | term_end = 2 December 1987 | nominator = Samuel Doe | appointer = | predecessor = James N. Nagbe | successor = Emmanuel Gbalazeh | birth_date = {{Birth date|df=y|1942|11|2}} | birth_place = Kiteabo, Webbo District, Grand Gedeh County, Liberia | death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|9|16|1942|11|2|df=y}} | death_place = Caldwell, New Georgia, Montserrado County, Liberia | alma_mater = Booker Washington Institute<br />North Carolina Central University | spouse = }} '''Chea Cheapoo, Sr.''' (2 November 1942 – 16 September 2020) was a Liberian politician who served as the 15th chief justice of Liberia from July 1987 until his impeachment and removal from office on December 2 of that year. His full rights were later restored by an act of legislature.
== Early life and education == Cheapoo was born on 2 November 1942<ref name="dictionary" /> in Kiteabo,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2020-09-17|title=Chea Cheapo Is Dead|url=https://www.liberianobserver.com/news/chea-cheapo-is-dead/|access-date=2020-09-27|website=Liberian Observer|language=en-US}}</ref> which was located in the former Webbo District of Grand Gedeh County. He studied first at the Assembly of God school in Pleebo, then at Monrovia College. In 1961, he earned a diploma in bookkeeping from the Booker Washington Institute.<ref name="dictionary">{{Cite book|last1=Dunn|first1=D. Elwood.|title=Historical dictionary of Liberia|last2=Beyan|first2=Amos Jones|last3=Burrowes|first3=Carl Patrick|date=2001|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-1-4616-5931-0|edition=2nd|location=Lanham, MD|pages=65–66|oclc=860625596}}</ref> He graduated from the North Carolina Central University School of Law in 1970.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=1974-01-01|title=1974 Alumni Directory|url=https://archives.law.nccu.edu/alumni-directories/1|journal=North Carolina Central University School of Law}}</ref>
== Entry into politics == After earning his law degree, Cheapoo returned to Liberia and joined the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. He later became an assistant minister in the Ministry of Justice.<ref name="dictionary" />
Cheapoo served in the late 1970s as a senator from Grand Gedeh County as a member of the ruling True Whig Party, but was forced out after disagreeing with party leaders. He then entered private practice.<ref name="dictionary" /> Soon after, Cheapoo joined the Progressive Alliance of Liberia (PAL), an opposition movement, and became its head counsellor.<ref>{{cite news| title = Liberia: In Brief; Dismissal of Justice Minister | newspaper = BBC| date = September 4, 1981}}</ref> In early 1980, he served as a spokesman for its successor, the Progressive People's Party (PPP).<ref>"PPP Reaffirms Confidence". ''The Sunday People'' 1980-01-13: 8.</ref> That same year, the ruling Whigs banned the PPP; Cheapoo and other party leaders were imprisoned on charges of treason.<ref name="dictionary" />
== Judicial appointments == Following the overthrow of the Tolbert government in an April 1980 coup, Cheapoo was freed from prison and appointed Attorney General under the People's Redemption Council regime.<ref name="dictionary" /><ref>{{cite news| title = Liberia: In Brief; People's Courts | newspaper = BBC| date = May 12, 1980}}</ref> However, Cheapoo was removed from his position and arrested in September 1981 after being accused of stockpiling arms without permission of the PRC.<ref>{{cite news| title = General, In Brief: Release from detention of former Liberian Justice Minister | newspaper = BBC| date = September 29, 1981}}</ref>
Following the resignation of Chief Justice James N. Nagbe in June 1987, Cheapoo was appointed by President Samuel Doe as Chief Justice.<ref name=bbc>{{cite news| title = WEST AFRICA: IN BRIEF; Liberia House of Representatives presents bill for impeachment of Chief Justice | newspaper = BBC| date = November 19, 1987}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| title = Liberia Senate impeaches Chief Justice Cheapoo | newspaper = BBC| date = December 4, 1987}}</ref> Soon after taking office, he was accused of illegally ordering the arrest of a probate judge and his wife, Harper S. Bailey and Muna Stubblefield,<ref>"Senate Pulls Chair from Under Cheapoo". ''Daily Star'' 1987-12-03: 1/7.</ref> whom he stated had tried to bribe him with $2,000. Amid the resulting controversy, he accused President Doe of unconstitutionally releasing the couple in question,<ref name=violated>"Doe Violated Constitution Says Cheapoo". ''SunTimes'' 1987-11-24: 1/6.</ref> but he submitted to President Doe his resignation on 10 November 1987,<ref>"Cheapoo Abandons Bench". ''SunTimes'' 1987-11-11: 1/6.</ref> but Doe rejected it and called for him to be punished with the removal of his citizenship.<ref>"Cheapoo To Lose Citizenship?" ''SunTimes'' 1987-11-13: 1/6.</ref> Consequently, he was impeached by the House of Representatives later in the month, and the Senate convicted him and removed him from office on 2 December on charges of violating the Constitution while in office.<ref name=bbc /> The vote was nearly unanimous; only David Menyongai of Margibi County voted to acquit.<ref>"Senator Menyongai Rejects One Count in Cheapoo Verdict". ''SunTimes'' 1987-12-03: 1/6.</ref>
Cheapoo was the first government official to be impeached in Liberia's history.<ref name=violated /> Shortly after his deposition, he was arrested on a charge of defaming President Doe, but he received substantial popular support: he was cheered by crowds of commoners as he went to trial,<ref>"Crowd Cheer Cheapoo at Court". ''SunTimes'' 1987-12-04: 1/6.</ref> and the Montserrado County bar association voted to boycott Judge Bailey's courtroom until his removal.<ref>"Lawyers Resolve to Boycott Court". ''SunTimes'' 1987-12-04: 1/6.</ref>
== Postwar activities == The Transitional Legislature of Liberia passed a resolution to restore Cheapoo's rights and privileges as a citizen of Liberia on 12 July 1994.{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}} He later became Chairman of the Liberia National Conference, which represented unarmed citizens in the Abuja Accord that ended the First Liberian Civil War.<ref>{{Cite web|date=19 August 1995|title=Abuja Peace Agreement to Supplement the Cotonou and Akosombo Agreements as subsequently clarified by the Accra Agreement|url=https://www.peaceagreements.org/view/194|access-date=2020-10-09|website=PA-X: Peace Agreements Database}}</ref> He testified before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2008 about the events of the 1980 coup, including unsubstantiated claims of CIA involvement contradicted by his former colleagues.<ref>{{Cite web|date=4 August 2008|title=Hearing Videos - Last Name 'C'|url=http://www.trcofliberia.org/videosets/1/linitial/C/2.html|website=Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Liberia}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=6 August 2008|title=UNMIL Public Information Office Complete Media Summaries|url=http://www.rscsl.org/Clippings/2008/2008-08/pc2008-8-8.pdf|website=United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL)|page=19}}</ref>
== Elections == Cheapoo participated in the 1997 general elections as the standard bearer of a reconstituted Progressive People's Party (PPP). As the party's candidate for president, Cheapoo won only 0.34% of the vote, while the party failed to win any seats in the legislature.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Harris|first=David|date=1999|title=From 'Warlord' to 'Democratic' President: how Charles Taylor won the 1997 Liberian elections|url=https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/id/eprint/6258|journal=Journal of Modern African Studies|language=en|volume=37|issue=3|pages=431–455|via=SOAS Research Online}}</ref> The party did not field candidates in the 2005 elections.<ref>{{Cite web|title=:: Elections 2005 ::|url=http://www.necliberia.org/results/|access-date=2020-09-27|website=National Elections Commission}}</ref> Cheapoo was once again the party's candidate for president in 2011; he received 0.3% of the vote, and the PPP won no seats in the legislature.<ref>{{Cite web|title=NEC Liberia :: Results 2011|url=http://www.necliberia.org/results2011/national.html|access-date=2020-09-27|website=National Elections Commission|archive-date=2018-10-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010092014/http://www.necliberia.org/results2011/national.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
== Death == Cheapoo died at the house of one of his sons in Caldwell, New Georgia, on 16 September 2020.<ref name=":0" />
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-legal}} {{s-bef|before=James N. Nagbe}} {{s-ttl|title=Chief Justice of Liberia|years=1987}} {{s-aft|after=Emmanuel Gbalazeh}} {{s-end}}
{{LiberianChiefJustices}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheapoo, Chea}} Category:1942 births Category:2020 deaths Category:Chief justices of Liberia Category:Candidates for President of Liberia Category:Liberian lawyers Category:Progressive People's Party (Liberia) politicians Category:Impeached judges removed from office Category:People from Grand Gedeh County Category:20th-century Liberian lawyers Category:Attorneys general of Liberia Category:North Carolina Central University alumni Category:20th-century Liberian judges