'Waldo A. Evans' (
1869–
April 15 1936) was a
Captain of the
United States Navy and military Governor of both the
United States Virgin Islands and
American Samoa. He was the last military governor of the U. S. Virgin Islands.
Evans was born in
Indianapolis, Indiana. During
World War I, he commanded three
cruisers starting in 1917, the
USS ''Olympia'', the
USS ''New Orleans'', and the
USS ''St. Louis''. In 1919, he was given command of the
USS ''Wyoming''.
From 1920 to 1922, Evans was made the military governor of American Samoa during a period of native unrest and when charges had been brought against then-Governor
Warren Jay Terhune. His investigation focused on two sailors, one of whom was later
court martialed, and one civilian, who was
deported back to the
United States.
In 1922, he was made
commander of the
Great Lakes Naval Training Station, near
Chicago, Illinois. In 1925, he retired from the Navy.
After the unexpected death of Governor Trench, Evans was asked out of retirement to govern the
United States Virgin Islands. As Governor, Evans signed a bill which granted all citizens of the Islands
United States citizenship, effective
February 28 1927. In September 1928, the Islands were hit by a
hurricane, 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 placed the island under civilian rule, also ending the Evans' term as Governor on
March 18 1931.
In 1935, Evans' wife died in an automobile accident in
California. Following her death, he fell into ill health and eventually had a stroke. He died in
Des Moines, Iowa in 1936.
References
★ "Samoan Trouble Focused." ''The Los Angeles Times''. Los Angeles, Calif.: Nov 30, 1920. pg. I2, 1 pgs
★ "Naval Court Files Report on Samoa." ''Los Angeles Times''. Los Angeles, Calif.: Feb 28, 1921. pg. I2, 1 pgs
★ "Evans made Governor of Virgin Islands." Special to The New York Times. ''New York Times''. New York, N.Y.: Jan 19, 1927. pg. 17, 1 pgs
★ "Virgin Islanders' Joy at Citizenship." Aldolph Gereau. ''New York Times''. New York, N.Y.: Mar 20, 1927. pg. XX16, 1 pgs
★ "Plea for Virgin Islands." Special to The New York Times. ''New York Times''. New York, N.Y.: Sep 17, 1928. pg. 3, 1 pgs
★ "Hoover's Order Ends Naval Rule in Virgin Isles." ''Chicago Daily Tribune''. Chicago, Ill.: Mar 3, 1931. pg. 15, 1 pgs
★ "Long Illness Proves Fatal To Capt. Evans." ''The Washington Post''. Washington, D.C.: Apr 16, 1936. pg. 5, 1 pgs
External links