| Hilary Teage | |
| Office: | 1st Secretary of State of the Republic of Liberia |
| Term Start: | 1848 |
| Term End: | 1850 |
| President: | Joseph Jenkins Roberts |
| Predecessor: | Office established |
| Successor: | John N. Lewis |
| Birth Date: | 1802 |
| Birth Place: | Virginia, United States |
| Death Date: | May 21, 1853 |
| Death Place: | Monrovia, Liberia |
| Profession: | Merchant, journalist |
Hilary Teague (1802 - May 21, 1853), sometimes written as Hilary Teage, was a Liberian merchant, journalist, and politician in the early years of the West African nation of Liberia. A native of the state of Virginia in the United States, he was known for his oratory skills and was prominent in early Liberian colonial politics. A leading advocate for Liberian independence from the American Colonization Society, he drafted the Liberian Declaration of Independence in 1847, serving as both a senator and the first Secretary of State for the new nation in the years that followed.[1]
Teague was born free in Virginia, United States, in 1805.[2] [3] [4] His mother was Frances Teague[5] and his father Colin Teague, a former slave who became a Baptist missionary during early efforts to establish the colony of Liberia.[6] The family emigrated to West Africa in 1821.[2]
Hilary Teague also served as a Baptist minister in Monrovia and was a merchant trading in palm oil.[7] In 1835, Teague became the owner and editor of the Liberia Herald in Monrovia after John Brown Russwurm left to become governor of the Republic of Maryland.[3] As editor, Teague became a dedicated promoter of Liberian independence and combined republicanism, black nationalism, and Christianity to make his case.[8] He remained the newspaper's head until 1849, when he left to devote full attention to politics.[3]
In 1835, Teague became Colonial Secretary for the Liberian colony. In 1839, he was the clerk of the convention which presented the settlers' views to the American Colonization Society regarding constitutional reform.[3] He was later an instrumental figure at the Constitutional Convention of 1847—representing Montserrado County[9] —in both debating and ratifying the Liberian Constitution of 1847.[3] He also wrote the Liberian Declaration of Independence, which protested against the treatment of African Americans as slaves and second-class citizens in the United States.[2] Teague became the republic's first Secretary of State after Liberia declared independence in 1847.[10] [11] Teague also composed Liberia's hymn of independence.[3]
He died in Liberia on May 21, 1853, and at the time was the country's attorney general.[12] [13]