Ralph Waldo Hungerford (April 21, 1896 – February 20, 1977) 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 Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, and the governor of American Samoa from January 27, 1945 to September 3, 1945. He was born April 21, 1896 in

Windsor, New York Windsor is a town in Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 5,804 at the 2020 census. The town is on the southern border of the county and is east of Binghamton. The town includes the village of Windsor, located on the Susque ...

, but moved to

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

later in life. He received appointment to 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 ...

on June 17, 1915. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he served on the staff of

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

Adolphus Andrews Adolphus Andrews (October 7, 1879 – June 19, 1948) was a decorated officer in the United States Navy with the rank of Vice Admiral. A Naval Academy graduate and veteran of three wars, he is most noted for his service as Commander, Eastern Sea ...

in defense of the

East Coast of the United States The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Eastern United States meets the North Atlantic Ocean. The eastern seaboard contains the coa ...

; he specialized in

antisubmarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are typic ...

. He was awarded the Legion of Merit on January 14, 1943. Hungerford became governor on January 27, 1945, and faced the daunting task of restoring the island to a pre-

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...

economy. He died in 1977 in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

Life

Hungerford was born April 21, 1896 in

. At the time of his appointment as governor, his legal residence was in

. He died on February 20, 1977 in Abington, Pennsylvania.

Naval career

Hungerford was admitted to the

on June 17, 1915 from

, graduating in 1919. He served on the staff of

Rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

, Commander,

Eastern Sea Frontier The Eastern Sea Frontier (EASTSEAFRON) was a United States Navy operational command during World War II, that was responsible for the coastal waters from Canada to Jacksonville, Florida, extending out for a nominal distance of two hundred miles. T ...

, who had been entrusted with the defense of the Atlantic Coast in 1941. Hungerford was placed in charge of

Governorship

Hungerford became Governor of American Samoa on January 27, 1945, relieving Allen Hobbs of the post and serving until September 3, 1945. (From 1905 to 1951, US Naval commanders were appointed to the position.) As governor, Hungerford successfully requested the removal of the

sonobuoy A sonobuoy (a portmanteau of sonar and buoy) is a relatively small buoy – typically diameter and long – expendable sonar system that is dropped/ejected from aircraft or ships conducting anti-submarine warfare or underwater acoustic resea ...

s from

Pago Pago Harbor Pago Pago Harbor on Tutuila Island in American Samoa is one of the world's largest natural harbors. The capital, Pago Pago is located on the inner reaches of the harbor, close to its northwesternmost point. It has the highest annual rainfall of a ...

. His main goal during his term was to return the islands to domestic economy and routine, converting them from the vital wartime centers they had been in the Pacific War. Among his challenges were cutting

unemployment Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for Work (human activity), w ...

, restoring the

copra Copra (from ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted from copr ...

industry, revitalizing the fishing industry, and re-opening schools closed during

. He often held meetings with the native chiefs. They made requests for new roads and projects, and voiced their concerns about island affairs.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hungerford, Ralph Governors of American Samoa 1896 births 1977 deaths United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy officers United States Navy personnel of World War II People from Windsor, New York