Alfred Walton Hinds (July 25, 1874 – December 25, 1957) was a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

captain who served as the 17th

Naval Governor of Guam The governor of Guam ( ch, I Maga'låhen / ) is the head of government of Guam and the commander-in-chief of the Guam National Guard, whose responsibilities also include making the annual State of the Island (formerly the State of the Territo ...

. His early naval service included serving as Assistant Engineer aboard , the

's first battleship, where he was reprimanded for an accident aboard in 1896. In 1911, Hinds joined the staff of the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

, heading the Department of Marine Engineering and Naval Construction, writing a textbook on the subject while there. From September 23, 1913, to March 28, 1914, Hinds served as acting Governor of Guam. Having already helped form the policies of the previous governor, Hinds continued much of the practices of the earlier administration. He successfully drew new import and export businesses to the island, though he failed in his attempts to further development of Guam as a key naval outpost. Following his governorship, Hinds commanded various ships and eventually became marine superintendent of the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui ...

in 1924, serving in that office until early 1925.

Life

Hinds was born on July 25, 1874, in

Marshall County, Alabama Marshall County is a county of the state of Alabama, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 97,612. Its county seat is Guntersville. A second courthouse is in Albertville. Its name is in honor of John Marshall, famous Chief ...

, the son of Margaret Rebecca (Pickett) Hinds and Byram Wilborn Hinds. His father was a physician and had served as a lieutenant in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. Among his siblings was Ernest Hinds, a U.S. Army major general. He was a member of the

New York Yacht Club The New York Yacht Club (NYYC) is a private social club and yacht club based in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1844 by nine prominent sportsmen. The members have contributed to the sport of yachting and yacht design. ...

Naval career

Hinds graduated from the

in 1894. He served as Assistant Engineer aboard , the first battleship commissioned by the

. The Navy publicly reprimanded him for his role in an accident aboard the vessel in September 1896. In 1901, he served temporarily aboard . In 1908, as a

lieutenant commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding ran ...

, the Navy ordered him aboard . In 1911, Hinds headed the Department of Marine Engineering and Naval Construction at the

. There, he also co-authored the book ''Marine and Naval Boilers'' with Lieutenant Commander Frank Lyon. The book served as a textbook for midshipmen at the Naval Academy. In 1917, as a commander, he served as executive officer of . In 1918, he was given command of USS ''Rochester''. During his command, the ship came to the aid of the British steamer ''Atlantian''. Though Hinds ordered the engagement of the

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...

that had attacked the ship, but the crew proved unable to find it. He was placed in command of in 1922. In 1924, Hinds became marine superintendent of the

, keeping that position until February 23, 1925.

Governorship

Hinds served as acting

from September 23, 1913, to March 28, 1914. Prior to becoming governor, Hinds served as public works officer for the island under Governor

Robert Coontz Robert Edward Coontz (June 11, 1864 – January 26, 1935) was an admiral in the United States Navy, who sailed with the Great White Fleet and served as the second Chief of Naval Operations. Early life Robert Coontz, son of Benton Coontz, w ...

, and continued much of the same policies he advocated in the position after taking the governorship. Hinds expressed fear that the large numbers of Japanese tourists to the island performing espionage. He also raised concerns about occupations of the surrounding islands by Japan. He successfully drew new American importers and exporters to the island, including

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

company Atkins, Kroll & Company. As governor, Hinds strongly promoted the utilization of

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

as an area for key naval bases to be built upon. He advocated for construction of a base to commence quickly using improvised dredging equipment from the

. However, various engineers and the Chief of the

Bureau of Yards and Docks The Bureau of Yards and Docks (abbrev.: BuDocks) was the branch of the United States Navy responsible from 1842 to 1966 for building and maintaining navy yards, drydocks, and other facilities relating to ship construction, maintenance, and repair. ...

dismissed the proposal as both unorthodox and originating from the wrong office. Hinds viewed Guam as of little importance other than as a naval outpost, stating in 1915 that "Except as a naval base-a place from which to sail forth to 'capture or destroy the enemy fleet'-Guam has no value to the navy and is, perhaps, of but little interest to naval officers."

Published works

* * *

Personal life

On April 10, 1902, Hinds married Mary Beardslee (1874-1952) at May Memorial Church in Syracuse, New York. They had one son, Walton Beardslee Hinds (1904-1973). In 1931, Hinds and his family moved to

Coronado, California Coronado (Spanish for "Crowned") is a resort city located in San Diego County, California, United States, across the San Diego Bay from downtown San Diego. It was founded in the 1880s and incorporated in 1890. Its population was 24,697 at th ...

. Hinds died on December 25, 1957.

References

External links

Alfred Walton Hinds at findagrave.com

Alfred Hinds at Lucky Bag via archive.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hinds, Alfred Walton 1874 births 1957 deaths Burials at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery Governors of Guam Members of the New York Yacht Club People from Coronado, California People from Marshall County, Alabama United States Naval Academy faculty United States Naval Academy alumni Writers from Alabama Military personnel from Alabama