Roy Lester Schneider (May 13, 1939 - December 18, 2022) was an American politician and physician who served as the fifth elected
Governor of the United States Virgin Islands from January 5, 1995 to January 4, 1999.
Biography
Schneider was born on the island of
Saint Thomas in 1939. He attended
Howard University, earning a
bachelor's degree in 1961 and a medical degree in 1965. He served in the
U.S. Army from 1966 to 1968 during the
Vietnam War. In Vietnam, he was a medical advisor and surgeon from 1967 to 1968. The United States awarded him a
Bronze Star for his service, while the
Republic of Vietnam awarded him the
Vietnamese Honor Medal
Vietnamese may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia
** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam.
* Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam
** Overse ...
First Class and the Technical Service Honor Medal. He became a captain.
After returning to civilian life, Schneider became a physician in his native Virgin Islands. He served as the U.S. Virgin Islands' Commissioner of Health from 1977 to 1987. In 1994, he was elected to the governorship. In 1999, he was defeated for re-election by Democrat
Charles Wesley Turnbull
Charles Wesley Turnbull (February 5, 1935 – July 3, 2022) was a Virgin Islander politician, educator and historian who served as the sixth elected Governor of the United States Virgin Islands from 1999 to 2007.
Biography
Charles Wesley Tur ...
. He is considered by the
National Governors Association to have been a
Republican.
Schneider is the namesake of the
Roy Lester Schneider Hospital
Roy is a masculine given name and a family surname with varied origin.
In Anglo-Norman England, the name derived from the Norman ''roy'', meaning "king", while its Old French cognate, ''rey'' or ''roy'' (modern ''roi''), likewise gave rise to ...
on Saint Thomas.
Post-gubernatorial career
In February 2000, Schneider and three cabinet members which includes executive assistant Maureen Bryan, OMB director Alvin Battiste and Finance Commissioner Dean Wallace were charged with conspiracy, embezzlement and fraud when the four of them allegedly conspired to pay a $29,000 bill at Marriott Frenchman's Reef Hotel for a room occupied by Walter Brunner, a close friend to Schneider and who was on contract with the Virgin Islands government after
Hurricane Marilyn. In March 2000, Territorial Court Judge Ive A. Swan dismissed all charges against Schneider and his three associates and instead set a date for trial on charges of conspiracy, fraud and falsification of records. Schneider pleaded not guilty.
Schneider died on December 18, 2022 at the age of 83.
[https://viconsortium.com/vi-culture/virgin-islands-former-governor-roy-l-schneider-has-died-he-was-the-5th-elected-governor-of-the-usvi-and-a-respected-physician-]
References
External links
National Governors Association Biography
1939 births
Living people
Governors of the United States Virgin Islands
Howard University alumni
People from Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Republican Party governors of the United States Virgin Islands
United States Army Medical Corps officers
United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War
United States Virgin Islands military doctors
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