American US Navy officer and Naval Governor of Guam
Edmund Spence Root (December 27, 1881 – February 27, 1961) was a United States Navy Captain who served as the 34th Naval Governor of Guam . He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1905, serving on many ships as an ensign . He served as the inaugural commanding officer of two ships: USS Rizal and USS Astoria . He served during World War I as commander of the U-boat hunting USS Rowan , for which he received a letter of commendation. As governor, he generated controversy by expelling 112 Japanese laborers from Guam .[ 1] The Guam Museum also opened during his term of office.
Early life
On December 27, 1882, Root was born in Delaware, Ohio. Root's parents were George Root and Lori Spence.[ 2]
Career
Naval
Root was appointed to the United States Naval Academy from Ohio in 1901.[ 3] He reported aboard USS Alabama in 1906,[ 4] and 1908 he served aboard USS Maine as an ensign .[ 5] On April 4, 1910, he began service aboard USS Bainbridge .[ 6]
In 1913, he served aboard USS Glacier .[ 7] During World War I , Root served within the Bureau of Navigation and then with the destroyer fleet stationed out of Queenstown, Ireland . In the war, he commanded USS Rowan , specifically seeking out and engaging German U-boats , for which he received a letter of commendation.[ 8] On May 28, 1919, Root set sail aboard USS Rizal as her first commanding officer .[ 9] In 1934, he served as the first commanding officer of USS Astoria .[ 10] In the 1940s, he headed the naval officer procurement program in Chicago , where he oversaw the area's initial WAVES program.[ 11]
Governorship
Root served as Naval Governor of Guam from May 15, 1931 to June 21, 1933.[ 12] Root caused controversy between the United States and Japanese governments in 1933 when he expelled 112 Japanese citizens from Guam after their residence permits expired.[ 1] The Guam Museum opened during his term.[ 13] The Edmund S. Root Agricultural School in Guam is named in his honor.[ 14]
Personal life
On May 27, 1929 Root married La Mira D. Norton in Hempstead, New York . On February 27, 1961, Root died in San Diego, California.[ 2]
References
^ a b "U.S. Expels Japanese" . The Vancouver Sun . Vancouver . Postmedia Network . 6 May 1933. p. 20. Retrieved 7 April 2011 .
^ a b "Edmund Spence Root" . familysearch.org . Retrieved November 10, 2021 .
^ United States Congressional Serial Set . Washington, D.C. : United States Government Printing Office . 1902. p. 88. Retrieved 7 April 2011 .
^ "Alabama" . Paradise of the Pacific . 19–22: 29. 1906. Retrieved 7 April 2011 .
^ "Photo #: NH 106227" . Online Library of Selected Images . Washington, D.C. : Naval History & Heritage Command . 15 November 2008. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2011 .
^ Annual Report of the Navy Department . Washington, D.C. : United States Government Printing Office . 1910. p. 59 . Retrieved 7 April 2011 . Edmund S Root.
^ Register of the Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps . Washington, D.C. : United States Government Printing Office . 1914. p. 32. Retrieved 7 April 2011 .
^ Associated Press (7 April 1931). "Capt. Root Named Governor of Guam". The New York Times . New York City . The New York Times Company . p. 39.
^ Mooney, James (1981). "Rizal" . Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships . Washington, D.C. : Naval History & Heritage Command . Archived from the original on 25 May 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2011 .
^ Mooney, James (1981). "Astoria" . Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships . Washington, D.C. : Naval History & Heritage Command . Archived from the original on 25 May 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2011 .
^ "Enlistment of WAVES Begins This Week" . Ludington Daily News . Ludington, Michigan . 14 September 1942. p. 2. Retrieved 7 April 2011 .
^ "Naval Era Governors of Guam" . Guampedia . Guam : University of Guam . 10 August 2010. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2011 .
^ DeLisle, Christine Taitano (2010). Civilizing the Guam Museum . Ann Arbor, Michigan : University of Michigan . p. 4.
^ Underwood, Robert (29 February 2000). "Fiftieth Anniversary" (PDF) . Congressional Record . 146 . Washington, D.C. : United States Government Printing Office : 1785. Retrieved 6 April 2011 .
External links
Commissioner (1898–1899) Naval (1899–1941) Military (1944–1949) Civilian (1949–1969) Elected (since 1969)