Jewel Taylor is a member of Liberia’s
Kpelle people. While her husband was president, Taylor held several official posts in the Liberian government, including Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Liberia (forerunner to the current
Central Bank of Liberia), President of the Agriculture Cooperative and Development Bank (ACDB), and Mortgage Financing Underwriter of the First Union National Bank. In addition, she focused on educational, health, and social projects. Taylor holds a
graduate degree in
banking and two
bachelors' in banking and
economics. She is currently enrolled in the
MBA program at
Cuttington University in Liberia. On 21 December 2011, she graduated from the Louise Arthur Grimes School of Law of the state-owned
University of Liberia. Two days later, a public dispute arose in Bong County regarding honors allegedly given her; she was announced to be the new holder of the title "Madam Suakoko", an honorary Bong County title memorializing the namesake of the
Suakoko District, but members of the group that had supposedly awarded her the title soon began denying that the award had been given by their group, saying that the meeting at which she was awarded the title was a meeting to help county residents overcome political differences. In February 2012, Taylor attempted to introduce legislation into the Liberian parliament that would have made
homosexual activity a first-degree
felony carrying the
death penalty as the maximum punishment. The legislation was not passed after President
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said she would not sign any such bill. In 2017, Taylor was chosen by
George Weah as his running mate on the newly-formed
Coalition for Democratic Change ticket. Following a runoff in late 2017, she became the first female Vice President of
Liberia when her party won the elections. In 2020, she was infected with
COVID-19 and was flown to Ghana for treatment. Taylor's son, Philip Taylor, died on 20 January 2026. ==References==