Ralph Hungerford

{{Short description|American Naval officer (1896 - 1977)}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Ralph Waldo Hungerford | honorific_suffix = | image = Ralph Waldo Hungerford.png | alt = | caption = | office = [[Governor of American Samoa]] | term_start = January 27, 1945 | term_end = September 3, 1945 | lieutenant = | predecessor = [[Allen Hobbs]] | successor = [[Samuel Canan]] | birth_date = April 21, 1896 | birth_place = [[Windsor (town), New York|Windsor, New York]] | death_date = {{Death date and age|1977|02|22|1897|04|21|df=yes}} | death_place = [[Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania|Abington, Pennsylvania]] | party = | spouse = | alma_mater = [[United States Naval Academy]] | occupation = Naval officer | signature = | signature_alt =  | nickname = | allegiance = {{flag|United States}} | branch = {{nowrap|[[File:United States Department of the Navy Seal.svg|30px|United States Navy Seal]]}} [[United States Navy]] | service_years = | rank = [[File:US-O6 insignia.svg|30px]] [[Captain (United States)#U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Public Health Service, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|Captain]] | unit = | commands = Commander, Anti-submarine warfare - Atlantic Ocean | battles = [[World War II]] | awards = [[Legion of Merit]] }}

'''Ralph Waldo Hungerford''' (April 21, 1896 – February 20, 1977) was a [[United States Navy]] [[Captain (United States)#U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Public Health Service, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|Captain]], and the [[governor of American Samoa]] from January 27, 1945, to September 3, 1945. He was born April 21, 1896, in [[Windsor (town), New York|Windsor, New York]], but moved to [[Rhode Island]] later in life. He received appointment to the [[United States Naval Academy]] on June 17, 1915. During [[World War II]], he served on the staff of [[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear Admiral]] [[Adolphus Andrews]] in defense of the [[East Coast of the United States]]; he specialized in [[antisubmarine warfare]]. He was awarded the Legion of Merit on January 14, 1943.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient.php?recipientid=309016|title=Ralph Hungerford - Recipient -}}</ref> Hungerford became governor on January 27, 1945, and faced the daunting task of restoring the island to a pre-[[Pacific War]] economy. He died in 1977 in [[Pennsylvania]].

==Life== Hungerford was born April 21, 1896, in [[Windsor, New York]].<ref name=bio>{{cite web|url=http://americansamoa.gov/governors/captain-ralph-waldo-hungerford|title=Captain Ralph Waldo Hungerford|year=2010|work=Governors|publisher=[[Government of American Samoa]]|access-date=2 May 2010}}</ref> At the time of his appointment as governor, his legal residence was in [[Rhode Island]].<ref>{{cite book|last=United States Civil Service Commission|author-link=United States Civil Service Commission|title=Official Register of the United States|year=1947|pages=135|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9SsiAAAAMAAJ&q=%22ralph+w+hungerford%22&pg=PA135|access-date=2 May 2010|publisher=[[United States Government Printing Office]]|location=[[Washington, D.C.]]}}</ref> He died on February 20, 1977, in [[Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania|Abington, Pennsylvania]].<ref name=bio/>

==Naval career== Hungerford was admitted to the [[United States Naval Academy]] on June 17, 1915, from [[Pennsylvania]], graduating in 1919.<ref>{{cite book|title=Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps and Reserve Officers on Active Duty|publisher=[[Bureau of Naval Personnel]]|year=1918|pages=260|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OswcAQAAIAAJ&q=%22ralph+waldo+hungerford%22&pg=PA260|access-date=2 May 2010}}</ref> He served on the staff of [[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear admiral]] [[Adolphus Andrews]], Commander, [[Eastern Sea Frontier]], who had been entrusted with the defense of the Atlantic Coast in 1941. Hungerford was placed in charge of [[antisubmarine warfare]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Hickam|first=Homer|title=Torpedo Junction: U-Boat War Off America's East Coast, 1942|publisher=[[Naval Institute Press]]|location=[[Annapolis, Maryland]]|year=1996|pages=4–5|isbn=1-55750-362-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P8GZ0KX1Gh4C&q=%22ralph+hungerford%22&pg=PA5|access-date=2 May 2010|author-link=Homer Hickam}}</ref>

==Governorship== Hungerford became [[Governor of American Samoa]] on January 27, 1945, relieving [[Allen Hobbs]] of the post and serving until September 3, 1945.<ref name=bio/> (From 1905 to 1951, US Naval commanders were appointed to the position.) As governor, Hungerford successfully requested the removal of the [[sonobuoy]]s from [[Pago Pago Harbor]].<ref name=bio/> His main goal during his term was to return the islands to domestic economy and routine, converting them from the vital wartime centers they had been in the Pacific War. Among his challenges were cutting [[unemployment]], restoring the [[copra]] industry, revitalizing the fishing industry, and re-opening schools closed during [[World War II]].<ref name=Doyle>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=D7UWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ICMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2208,2093880&dq=ralph-hungerford&hl=en|title=Samoa Faces Peace Change: War Passes Island By|last=Doyle|first=Robert|date=21 March 1945|work=[[Milwaukee Journal]]|publisher=[[Journal Communications]]|pages=8|access-date=2 May 2010|location=[[Milwaukee]], Wisconsin}}</ref> He often held meetings with the native chiefs. They made requests for new roads and projects, and voiced their concerns about island affairs.<ref name=Doyle/>

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hungerford, Ralph}} [[Category:Governors of American Samoa]] [[Category:1896 births]] [[Category:1977 deaths]] [[Category:United States Naval Academy alumni]] [[Category:United States Navy officers]] [[Category:United States Navy personnel of World War II]] [[Category:People from Windsor, New York]]