Nathan Woodworth Post (August 3, 1881 – May 30, 1938) was the governor of American Samoa. He graduated from 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 ...

in 1904, and commanded and the Naval Recruiting Station in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

. He served two terms as governor: from March 14 to July 14, 1913, and from October 2 to December 16, 1914. He is the first American Samoan governor to serve to two non-consecutive terms.

Early life

Post was born in

Fonda, Iowa Fonda is a city in Pocahontas County, Iowa, United States. The population was 636 at the time of the 2020 census. History The city of Fonda was originally called Marvin. Marvin, however, was deemed too similar to Manson, Iowa and due to mail be ...

on August 3, 1881. His son was Nathan Topliff Post, a

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

World War II ace.

Naval career

Post was appointed to the

from

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

in 1900. He graduated in 1904, and served two years as a midshipman at sea before receiving his commission. As an

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

, Post served on . Post served as the personnel officer of the

12th Naval District The naval district was a U.S. Navy military and administrative command ashore. Apart from Naval District Washington, the Districts were disestablished and renamed Navy Regions about 1999, and are now under Commander, Naval Installations Command ...

. In 1910, he was in charge of the Naval Recruiting Station in

. He was made a commander in 1916. In 1922 he was placed in command of in San Diego, California. In 1931, he was placed in command of . Post retired from active duty on February 1, 1937.

Governorship

Post relieved

William Michael Crose William Michael Crose (February 8, 1867 – April 4, 1929) was a United States Navy Captain and the seventh Naval Governor of American Samoa, from November 10, 1910 to March 14, 1913. He was the first person designated "Governor of American Sam ...

of the governorship on March 14, 1913, serving until July 14 of the same year. He served a second term from October 2 to December 16, 1914. This made him the first Governor of American Samoa to serve exactly two non-consecutive terms; the only other ever to do so was Gatewood Lincoln.

Later life

After his death, Post was interred at

San Francisco National Cemetery San Francisco National Cemetery is a United States national cemetery, located in the Presidio of San Francisco, California. Because of the name and location, it is frequently confused with Golden Gate National Cemetery, a few miles south of the ci ...

on June 20, 1938.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Post, Nathan Woodworth 1881 births 1938 deaths People from Pocahontas County, Iowa United States Naval Academy alumni Military personnel from Iowa Governors of American Samoa United States Navy captains Burials at San Francisco National Cemetery