the military tyranny. Such leaders extended Sawyer's one-year appointment for four years during the civil war fought against rebels led largely by Taylor, Johnson, and David Nimley. In 1994, Sawyer was forced to step down as a part of the peace process, and subsequently the role of official leader of Liberia was held not by the president, but by the chairmen of the Council of State. Fighting sparked again in 1996, and continued during Charles Taylor's presidency from 1997 to 2003. Sawyer returned to the US for a period, invited to serve as associate director and research scholar at the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis in the Department of Political Science at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. Sawyer was chairman of the Governance Reform Commission in Liberia, which has recently become the Governance Commission. His book, Beyond Plunder: Toward Democratic Governance in Liberia (2005), explored the development of multi-party democracy in the country. He supported Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in the October 2005 and 2011 elections. Personal life and death Sawyer died at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, on 16 February 2022, at the age of 76. Legacy and honors Sawyer was awarded the Gusi Peace Prize in 2011. References External links Abdoulaye W. Dukule, "Life in Monrovia", The Perspective, 26 November 2001. Indiana University: Profile of Dr. Amos Sawyer J. Peter Pham, "A Nation Long Forlorn: Liberia's Journey From Civil War toward Civil Society", The International Journal of Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL), Volume 6, Issue 4, September 2004. 1945 births 2022 deaths 20th-century Liberian politicians Presidents of Liberia Americo-Liberian people Liberian People's Party politicians Northwestern University alumni Academic staff of the University of Liberia University of Liberia alumni Politicians from Monrovia People from Sinoe County