Otto Carl Dowling (February 28, 1881 – April 14, 1946) 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, and the 25th Governor of American Samoa from April 17, 1934, to January 15, 1936. 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 1903. Dowling served in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, before retiring. He was re-commissioned in

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 opposing ...

, serving as the commander of a naval ammunition depot on Iona Island in New York. He commanded the Lake Denmark Powder Depot, and was in charge when lightning struck the location, causing a large explosion of millions of dollars' worth of ammunition. A board of inquiry recommended him for the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

for his bravery in the situation. As Governor, he discriminated against the

Samoan people Samoans or Samoan people ( sm, tagata Sāmoa) are the indigenous Polynesian people of the Samoan Islands, an archipelago in Polynesia, who speak the Samoan language. The group's home islands are politically and geographically divided between ...

, believing they had little ability to plan or administer, and were generally lazy. He abandoned a project on the island to train people in agricultural and

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

skills. He shut down some local occupational training facilities, and outlawed the sale of alcohol to men under 18, and to all women. He died on April 14, 1946, in

Trumbull, Connecticut Trumbull is a town located in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It borders on the cities of Bridgeport and Shelton and the towns of Stratford, Fairfield, Easton and Monroe. The population was 36,827 during the 2020 census. Trumbul ...

after he suffered a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

while driving.

Naval career

Dowling attended the

from New York, beginning in 1898 and graduating in 1903. Dowling served in both

, where he obtained his Captain rank. Soon after the war, he retired from the

, but returned to active duty in

, and was placed in command of the Naval arsenal on Iona Island. He served as the senior member of the Naval Alaskan Coal Commission. He was in charge of the Lake Denmark Powder Depot when an explosion occurred there in 1926. Both Dowling and 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 ...

Private First Class were caught in the blast. Dowling was temporarily blinded, badly burned, and used a wheelchair for a time afterward. For his bravery during the situation, Dowling was awarded the

Governorship

Dowling was Governor of American Samoa from April 17, 1934, to January 15, 1936. Dowling's administration continued certain policies of

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonis ...

toward the native Samoans, who he believed had little work ethic or ability to plan for the future; as such, he treated the Samoan race as a people who needed safety nets. Dowling claimed, "Our policy of Samoa for the Samoans—no alienation of lands and no exploitation of natives—has been rigidly adhered to... as such a policy assures the existence of the Samoan race which otherwise could not stand competition from the energetic races." Dowling viewed the slow adoption of the

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the ...

after thirty-five years of occupation to be troublesome. Dowling outlawed the sale of alcohol to all men below the age of eighteen, and to all women on the island. When asked if he would approve the formation of a legislative body for the island, he claimed that such a thing would require an act of the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

; this stance was reversed when Governor

Vernon Huber Vernon Huber (August 28, 1899 – June 17, 1967) was a United States Navy rear admiral, and the 36th governor of American Samoa from April 22, 1947, to June 15, 1949. He was born in Philadelphia, Illinois, and was appointed to the United S ...

approved the

American Samoa Fono The American Samoa Fono is the territorial legislature of American Samoa. Like most states and territorial legislatures of the United States, it is a bicameral legislature with a House of Representatives and a Senate. The legislature is lo ...

Death

Dowling died on April 14, 1946, in

. He was driving a car on

Merritt Parkway The Merritt Parkway (also known locally as "The Merritt") is a limited-access parkway in Fairfield County, Connecticut, with a small section at the northern end in New Haven County. Designed for Connecticut's Gold Coast, the parkway is known ...

when he had a

; Dowling successfully pulled the car to the side of the road, but died a few minutes later. At the time of his death, he had been living in

Pelham, New York Pelham is a suburban town in Westchester County, approximately 10 miles northeast of Midtown Manhattan. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 13,078, an increase from the 2010 census. Historically, Pelham was composed of five villages ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dowling, Otto Carl 1881 births 1946 deaths Governors of American Samoa United States Navy personnel of World War I United States Navy officers United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Naval Academy alumni People from Pelham, New York Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States)