Edward William Hanson (February 12, 1889 – October 18, 1959) was a United States Navy Vice admiral and the

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 June 26, 1938, to July 30, 1940. 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 ...

, Hanson believed that the native Samoans had a good way of life, and did little to interfere with established practices on the islands.

Early years and World War I

Edward William Hanson was born on February 12, 1889, in Alexandria, Minnesota. He attended the United States Naval Academy at

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

and graduated in 1911 with the rank of Ensign. With the entry of the United States into World War I, LTJG Hanson was appointed as commanding officer of , a , which patrolled Manila Bay in the summer of 1917. Hanson was ordered to

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

in the same year. During the voyage to Europe, which was longer than 11,000 miles, USS ''Dale'' was under very unfavorable weather conditions. Hanson managed to sail ''Dale'' without serious damage, so the ship was ready for immediate participation in operations against the enemy. LTJG Hanson was awarded the Navy Cross for his command of USS ''Dale''.

Navy Cross citation

Edward W. Hanson was awarded the Navy Cross. The official U.S. Navy citation for his Navy Cross reads: :Action Date: Summer, 1917 :Name: Edward William Hanson :Service: Navy :Rank: Lieutenant Junior Grade :Company: Commanding Officer :Division: U.S.S. Dale :Citation: ''The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Lieutenant, Junior Grade Edward William Hanson, United States Navy, for exceptionally distinguished service in the line of his profession in Command of the U.S.S. DALE in making the trip of 11,000 miles from Manila, Philippine Islands, to Gibraltar, under very unfavorable weather conditions, during the Summer of 1917, the southwest monsoon being then at its height, and arriving in the Mediterranean with his vessel in readiness for immediate participation in the operations against enemy submarines in the Mediterranean and later in the Atlantic.''

Interwar period

After the War, Hanson served on the staff of the Harvard Naval Science Department at Harvard University and subsequently on . Hanson also attended the Naval War College in 1925. In 1927, he was transferred to , where he served as Ship Engineer for almost two years. In the next years, Hanson served also aboard , and as a staff officer. Between years 1931–1932 Hanson served back on USS ''West Virginia'' as navigator. In July 1936, Hanson got his first command, when he was appointed commanding officer of , a newly launched gunboat. Hanson commanded the ship during protection of American interests and citizens during the Spanish Civil War. Then USS ''Erie'' was used as a training ship for

midshipmen A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

, operating out of the United States Naval Academy in

Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

. On June 26, 1938, Hanson was appointed the

. As Governor, he believed that the native Samoans had a good way of life, and did little to interfere with established practices on the islands. At the time of his governorship, he was a

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

World War II

At the end of July 1940, Hanson ended his term as a Governor. He was subsequently promoted to the rank of

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 appointed the commanding officer of the Naval Station Tutuila, also in American Samoa. In October 1941, he was appointed the commanding officer of the heavy cruiser . Two months later (during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor), Hanson commanded USS ''Indianapolis'' during a training mission conducting a mock bombardment at

Johnston Atoll Johnston Atoll is an Unincorporated territories of the United States, unincorporated territory of the United States, currently administered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Johnston Atoll is a National Wildlife Refuge and ...

. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hanson got order to search for Japanese carriers responsible for the attack, though the ship did not locate them. Hanson subsequently commanded USS ''Indianapolis'' during the

New Guinea campaign The New Guinea campaign of the Pacific War lasted from January 1942 until the end of the war in August 1945. During the initial phase in early 1942, the Empire of Japan invaded the Australian-administered Mandated Territory of New Guinea (23 Jan ...

and also during the Aleutian Islands Campaign in the Pacific War. He was subsequently appointed the commander of Battleship Division 9 in July 1942. Hanson commanded Battleship Division 9 for the rest of the war and spent this time in the Pacific. In August 1945, Hanson was transferred to Hawaii, where he succeeded Rear Admiral

William R. Furlong William Rea Furlong (May 26, 1881 – June 2, 1976) was United States Navy Rear admiral during World War II, who served as the Chief of Naval Ordnance from 1937 to 1941. After Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor, Furlong was tasked with the salva ...

as a Commander of Pearl Harbor Navy Yard.

Postwar service and retirement

On February 13, 1948, Hanson was assumed command of the

15th 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 ...

, headquartered at Balboa in the

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...

. While in this capacity, he was decorated with Order of Vasco Núñez de Balboa, rank Commander by Government of Panama and Order of Merit, rank Commander by Chile. Hanson retired from the Navy with the rank of vice admiral on February 1, 1951, and settled in

La Jolla, California La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood within the city of San Diego, California, United States, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781. La Jolla is surrounded on ...

near San Diego. Edward William Hanson died there on October 18, 1959, aged 70. He is buried together with his wife Nina A. Hanson (1903–1974) at

Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery is a federal military cemetery in the city of San Diego, California. It is located on the grounds of the former Army coastal artillery station Fort Rosecrans and is administered by the United States Department o ...

Decorations

Here is the ribbon bar of Vice Admiral Edward W. Hanson:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanson, Edward William 1889 births 1959 deaths People from Alexandria, Minnesota United States Naval Academy alumni Naval War College alumni United States Navy vice admirals Governors of American Samoa United States Navy personnel of World War I United States Navy World War II admirals Burials at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Military personnel from Minnesota