Overall, 25 individuals have served as president, including Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first elected female head of state in Africa.

He was succeeded by Joseph Jenkins Roberts, the first person of African descent to serve as governor of Liberia.

The presidency was vacant from 1980 to 1986, with executive power held by Doe as the head of the People's Redemption Council.

Doe was later overthrown and murdered in 1990 following the commencement First Liberian Civil War, during which the presidency remained vacant.

Following the 1997 general election, Charles Taylor held the presidency until his resignation on August 11, 2003, as part of a peace deal to end the Second Liberian Civil War.

His successor, Moses Blah, ceded executive power on October 13 of that year to Gyude Bryant, the chairman of the Transitional Government of Liberia.

The 1986 Constitution gives the president the power to appoint all cabinet ministers, judges, ambassadors, sheriffs, county officials and military officers with the advice and consent of the Senate.

The president conducts all matters of foreign policy, though any treaties or international agreements must be ratified by both houses of the Legislature.

During the presidency of William Tolbert, the Constitution was amended to restrict the president to a single eight-year term; by 1976, voices in the legislature were being raised in favor of returning to the previous system, but Tolbert proclaimed his support for the existing system and vowed to veto any constitutional amendments to remove term limits.

In 2006, the Executive Mansion was under renovations due to a fire that damaged parts of the building in July of that year.