Vernon Huber (August 28, 1899 – June 17, 1967) 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 ...

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 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 ...

from that state. He served as the first commanding officer of the destroyer upon its launch in 1940. After his appointment, he advocated the diversification of the American Samoan economy. He also helped to increase the level American Samoan self-government, and was the first governor to serve alongside a Samoan legislature, 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 ...

Life

Huber was born on August 28, 1899, in Philadelphia, Illinois, to parents Herbert Oliver and Nelle Davis Huber. On December 27, 1927, he married Ida Brown. Upon arriving at the El Camino Hospital in

Los Altos, California Los Altos (; Spanish for "The Heights") is a city in Santa Clara County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 31,625 according to the 2020 census. Most of the city's growth occurred between 1950 and 1980. Originally ...

, on June 16, 1967, Huber was pronounced dead.

Naval career

Huber was appointed to the

on July 17, 1918. He was the first commander of the destroyer upon its launch in 1940.

Governorship

On August 22, 1947, Huber relieved Harold Houser and took the office of Governor of American Samoa. His assistant governor was Ralph Ramey. Huber supported the opening of a cannery by famed aviator Harold Gatty, believing it would help diversify the American Samoan economy. During his term, the Samoans moved towards greater self-government. Under Huber's encouragement, the legislature of the territory, the

, convened for the first time. As governor, Huber maintained certain powers over the legislature, including the power of

veto A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president or monarch vetoes a bill to stop it from becoming law. In many countries, veto powers are established in the country's constitution. Veto ...

. This reversed the previous position of Governor

Otto Dowling Otto Carl Dowling (February 28, 1881 – April 14, 1946) was a United States Navy Captain, and the 25th Governor of American Samoa from April 17, 1934, to January 15, 1936. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1903. Dowling se ...

, who had claimed 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 ...

would be required to form a legislature. He ceded the office to Thomas Francis Darden Jr. on June 15, 1949.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Huber, Vernon 1899 births 1967 deaths People from Cass County, Illinois Governors of American Samoa United States Navy admirals United States Navy personnel of World War I United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Naval Academy alumni Recipients of the Legion of Merit Military personnel from Illinois