Earl Baker Ruth (February 7, 1916 – August 15, 1989) was a three-term U.S. Representative from

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

and subsequently served as

governor of American Samoa This is a list of governors, etc. of the part of the Samoan Islands (now comprising American Samoa) under United States administration since 1900. From 1900 to 1978 governors were appointed by the Federal government of the United States. Since ...

. Born in Spencer, North Carolina, Ruth graduated from Central High School in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most popul ...

in 1934. He earned an

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

at the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sys ...

Chapel Hill, North Carolina Chapel Hill is a town in Orange, Durham and Chatham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Its population was 61,960 in the 2020 census, making Chapel Hill the 17th-largest municipality in the state. Chapel Hill, Durham, and the sta ...

in 1938 and a

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. ...

from the same institution in 1942. He completed his graduate-level education with a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

from the school in 1955. He was a teacher and coach at Chapel Hill High School, 1938–40.

In 1933 Ruth was the North Carolina High School

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball c ...

champion (singles). While at UNC, Chapel Hill Ruth was a

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

standout, serving as captain of the Tar Heel team in both his Junior and Senior years (1936–37 and 1937–38). Earl B

He subsequently served in the

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 ...

. Ruth was head basketball coach and director of athletics at

Catawba College Catawba College is a private college in Salisbury, North Carolina. Founded in 1851 by the North Carolina wikt:classis, Classis of the Reformed Church in Newton, North Carolina, Newton, the college adopted its name from its county of origin, Cat ...

Salisbury, North Carolina Salisbury is a city in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, United States; it has been the county seat of Rowan County since 1753 when its territory extended to the Mississippi River. Located northeast of Charlotte and within its metropo ...

from 1946 to 1960. From 1960 to 1968 he served as the

Dean of Students Dean is a title employed in academic administrations such as colleges or universities for a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, over a specific area of concern, or both. In the United States and Canada, deans are usua ...

there. He was member of Salisbury City Council from 1963 to 1968, serving as

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

pro tempore ''Pro tempore'' (), abbreviated ''pro tem'' or ''p.t.'', is a Latin phrase which best translates to "for the time being" in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a ''locum tenens'' (placeholder) in the absence o ...

'' from 1967 to 1968. Ruth was elected as a Republican to the Ninety-first and to the two succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1969 – January 3, 1975). He was an unsuccessful candidate for re-election to the Ninety-fourth Congress in 1974. He was then appointed by

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United St ...

Gerald R. Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...

to be

Governor of American Samoa This is a list of governors, etc. of the part of the Samoan Islands (now comprising American Samoa) under United States administration since 1900. From 1900 to 1978 governors were appointed by the Federal government of the United States. Since ...

from 1975 to 1976. During his period as Governor of American Samoa opposition to the practice of the federal government appointing governors grew stronger. Within eighteen months, Ruth had removed numerous Samoans in administrative posts, who had been appointed by former Governor

John Morse Haydon John Morse Haydon (January 27, 1920 – April 18, 1991) was the governor of the American Samoa from 1969 to 1974. Haydon attended the University of Washington. He served as a First Lieutenant in the United States Air Force during World War II and ...

. Ruth was soon recalled to Washington, DC, and was quoted for having called Samoans "lazy, thieving liars."

Personal life

Ruth's wife was Jane Wylie Ruth. On August 15, 1989 Ruth died in Salisbury. He is interred in Salisbury National Cemetery.

Legacy

In 2012, the North Carolina Department of Transportation named a section of U.S. 601 in Rowan County "Congressman Earl Ruth Highway" in his honor.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ruth, Earl B. 1916 births 1989 deaths 20th-century American educators 20th-century American politicians American men's basketball players United States Navy personnel of World War II American Samoa Republicans Basketball coaches from North Carolina Basketball players from North Carolina Catawba Indians athletic directors Catawba Indians men's basketball coaches Governors of American Samoa Military personnel from North Carolina North Carolina city council members North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball players People from Salisbury, North Carolina People from Spencer, North Carolina Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina Schoolteachers from North Carolina University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni