David Dean O'Keefe (1824 or 1828 – 1901) was an

Irish-American , image = Irish ancestry in the USA 2018; Where Irish eyes are Smiling.png , image_caption = Irish Americans, % of population by state , caption = Notable Irish Americans , population = 36,115,472 (10.9%) alone ...

ship captain who became a historical and political figure on the Western Pacific island of

Yap Yap ( yap, Waqaab) traditionally refers to an island group located in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, a part of Yap State. The name "Yap" in recent years has come to also refer to the state within the Federated States of Micr ...

. O'Keefe emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

in 1848 and established himself in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later t ...

. In 1871 he captained a ship to the Western Pacific. After landing on Yap he became powerful by using tools from

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

and East Asia to more easily create

Rai stones A rai stone ( yap, raay), or fei stone, is one of many large artifacts that were manufactured and treasured by the native inhabitants of the Yap islands in Micronesia. They are also known as Yapese stone money or similar names. The typical ra ...

; however, the ease of making the stone money ultimately helped lead to its decline during the period of German rule. Still the wealth allowed him to own an island, of which he was considered "king". Reportedly he had his own emblem, which showed the US flag waving over the letters "O K." He took two Yapese wives, despite already having a wife and daughter in Savannah. In 1901 he died on the ship ''Santa Cruz'' returning to Savannah. ''His Majesty O'Keefe'' is the story of O'Keefe's life on Yap. A film of the same name starring

Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor and producer. Initially known for playing tough guys with a tender heart, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-yea ...

was made in 1954.''His Majesty O'Keefe'' on IMDb
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Notes

References

* ''The New Book of Lists'' pgs 384–385 {{DEFAULTSORT:Okeefe, David 19th-century Irish people 1820s births 1901 deaths Yap Year of birth uncertain American sailors People from Savannah, Georgia Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923)

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