Waldo A. Evans (1869 – April 15, 1936) was a captain of the

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 ...

and military Governor of both the

United States Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands,. Also called the ''American Virgin Islands'' and the ''U.S. Virgin Islands''. officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and an unincorporated and organized territory ...

and

American Samoa American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the Internationa ...

. He was the last military governor of the U. S. Virgin Islands.

Life and naval career

Evans was born in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

. During World War I, he commanded three cruisers starting in 1917, , , and . In 1919, he was given command of the battleship . From 1920 to 1922, Evans was made the military governor of American Samoa during a period of native unrest and immediately after the suicide of Governor Warren Jay Terhune. His investigation focused on two sailors, one of whom was later court martialed, and one civilian, who was

deported Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. The term ''expulsion'' is often used as a synonym for deportation, though expulsion is more often used in the context of international law, while deportation ...

back to the United States. In 1922, he was made commander of the

Great Lakes Naval Training Station Naval Station Great Lakes (NAVSTA Great Lakes) is the home of the United States Navy's only boot camp, located near North Chicago, in Lake County, Illinois. Important tenant commands include the Recruit Training Command, Training Support Center ...

, near

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. In 1925, he retired from the Navy. After the unexpected death of Governor Trench, Evans was asked out of retirement to govern the

. As Governor, Evans signed a bill which granted all citizens of the islands

United States citizenship Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Cons ...

, effective February 28, 1927. In September 1928, the islands were hit by a

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

, resulting in six deaths and $400,000 worth of property damage (approximately $4.3 million in inflation-adjusted 2005 dollars). He also faced opposition from the sugar plantations in the territories by his insistence that they modernize, due to the potential cut on a sugar tax. In 1931, President

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...

placed the island under civilian rule, also ending Evans' term as Governor on March 18, 1931. In 1935, Evans' wife died in an automobile accident in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. Following her death, he fell into ill health and eventually had a stroke. He died in

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

, in 1936.

References

*"Samoan Trouble Focused" ''The Los Angeles Times''. Nov 30, 1920. pg. I2, 1 pgs *"Naval Court Files Report on Samoa" ''Los Angeles Times''. Feb 28, 1921. pg. I2, 1 pgs *"Evans made Governor of Virgin Islands" ''New York Times''. Jan 19, 1927. pg. 17, 1 pgs *"Virgin Islanders' Joy at Citizenship" Aldolph Gereau. ''New York Times''. Mar 20, 1927. pg. XX16, 1 pgs *"Plea for Virgin Islands" ''New York Times''. Sep 17, 1928. pg. 3, 1 pgs *"Hoover's Order Ends Naval Rule in Virgin Isles" ''Chicago Daily Tribune''. Mar 3, 1931. pg. 15, 1 pgs *"Long Illness Proves Fatal To Capt. Evans" ''The Washington Post''. Apr 16, 1936. pg. 5, 1 pgs

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Waldo A. 1869 births 1936 deaths Governors of American Samoa Governors of the United States Virgin Islands United States Navy personnel of World War I Military personnel from Indianapolis United States Navy officers