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E. T. Pollock

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E. T. Pollock
Capt. Pollock as Superintendent of theU.S. Naval Observatory
Birth nameEdwin Taylor Pollock
Born(1870-10-25)October 25, 1870
Mount Gilead, Ohio
DiedJune 4, 1943(1943-06-04)(aged 72)
Washington, D.C.
AllegianceUnited States of America
Service/branchUnited States Navy
Years of service1893–1927
RankCaptain
Commands heldUSSVirginia
USSKearsarge
USSSalem
USSAlabama
USSHancock
USSGeorge Washington
USSOklahoma
CommandantU.S. Naval Station Tutuila
SuperintendentU.S. Naval Observatory
Battles/warsBattle of Santiago de Cuba
AwardsNavy Cross
Other workMilitary Governor of theU. S. Virgin Islands(acting) andAmerican Samoa

Edwin Taylor Pollock(October 25, 1870 – June 4, 1943) was a careerofficerin theUnited States Navy,serving in theSpanish–American Warand inWorld War I.He was later promoted to the rank ofcaptain.

As a youngensign,Pollock served aboardUSSNew Yorkduring the Spanish–American War. After the war, he rose through the ranks, served on several ships, and did important research into wireless communication. In 1917, less than a week before the United States entered World War I, he won a race against a fellow officer to receive theU.S. Virgin Islandsfrom Denmark, and served as the territory's first acting governor. During the war, he was promoted to captain and a vessel under his command transported 60,000 American soldiers to France, for which he was awarded aNavy Cross.Afterward, he was made the eighth Naval Governor ofAmerican Samoaand then the superintendent of theUnited States Naval Observatory,before retiring in 1927.

Early career[edit]

Originally fromMount Gilead, Ohio,Pollock attended theUnited States Naval Academyand, as a midshipman, was assigned toUSSLancasterandUSSMonocacy.[1]He graduated with a rank ofensignin 1893.

After graduation, Pollock returned to Ohio and married Beatrice E. Law Hale on December 5.[2]Two weeks later, he was assigned to the cruiserUSSNew Yorkduring its initial shake-down.[3]He was subsequently assigned to thegunboatUSSMachiasfor an expedition toChina.[4]He remained in China for two and a half years as part of theAsiatic Squadron,then transferring toUSSDetroitbefore returning home in 1897.[5]On his return home, the Spanish–American War was heating up and he was reassigned toNew York,to see service inCubaandPuerto Rico,eventually taking part in theBattle of Santiago de Cuba.[6]

In January 1900, he was promoted tolieutenantand assigned toUSSAlliance.[7]Over the following year he served onUSSDolphinandUSSBuffalo.[8]On boardBuffalo,he returned to the Asiatic Squadron near China and was finally transferred toUSSBrooklyn,the squadron'sflagship.[9]He remained on boardBrooklyn,until its return home in May 1902.[10]After a brief leave, Pollock was assigned to theUSSChesapeake(as thewatchanddivision officer), a position he held for more than one year.[11]He was transferred toUSSCincinnati,serving for another year, and then toCavite Naval Base.[12]At Cavite, he was promoted tolieutenant commanderin February 1906.[13]

His first duty as a lieutenant commander was onUSSAlabama,as thenavigator.[14]In 1910, Pollock was reassigned toUSSMassachusetts,where he was promoted tocommanderin March 1911.[15][16]

On his promotion, Pollock commandedUSSVirginiaandUSSKearsarge,before being transferred to theUnited States Naval Observatory.[17]During his command ofKearsarge,Pollock briefly commandedUSSSalemfor a world-record setting wireless experiment. For this feat,Salemwas outfitted with 16 different wireless telegraph technologies and sailed toGibraltar,with Pollock commanding. On arrival, they tested these technologies and set a world-record for longest wireless telegraph distance, 2,400 miles (3,900 km), using a "Poulsen Apparatus", based on principles byValdemar Poulsen.Experiments were also conducted to determine wireless characteristics during inclement weather and during both the day and night.[18]In 1916, he was put in command ofUSSAlabama,the ship on which he had been the navigator.[19]

U.S. Virgin Islands[edit]

"Beautiful Harbor ofSt. Thomas, West Indies",circa 1900

In the final days before the entrance of theUnited StatesintoWorld War I,the U.S. military was concerned thatGermanywas planning to purchase or seize theDanish West Indiesfor use as asubmarineorzeppelinbase.[20]At the time,Charlotte AmalieonSaint Thomaswas considered the best port in theCaribbeanoutside ofCuba,andCoral BayonSaint Johnwas considered the safest harbor in the area.[21]Although the United States was not yet at war with Germany, the U.S. signed a treaty to purchase the territory from Denmark for 25 million dollars on March 28, 1917.PresidentWoodrow WilsonnominatedJames Harrison Oliverto be the first military governor.[22]The United States announced plans to build a naval base in the territory to aid in the protection of thePanama Canal.[23]

Oliver was unable to travel immediately to the Islands and the honor of being the first Acting Governor of theUnited States Virgin Islandswas decided in an unusual way. Both Pollock, commandingUSSHancock,and B. B. Blerer'sUSSOlympiawere dispatched to the Islands in a race. The commander of the ship that arrived first would officiate at the transfer ceremony and be acting governor.[22]Pollock arrived first and the transfer ceremony took place on March 31, 1917, on Saint Thomas. Blerer officiated at a smaller ceremony onSaint Croix.Present for the handover was the crew of the Danish station cruiserValkyrienand the former island legislature.[24]The United States declared war on Germany on April 6, less than a week after securing the islands. Oliver was confirmed byCongresson April 20 and relieved Pollock as governor.

World War I[edit]

During the war, Pollock was appointed as captain onUSSGeorge Washington,a German cruise liner which was seized by the United States government for use as a military transport ship. She was rechristenedGeorge Washingtonin September 1917 and Pollock was given her command on October 1, 1917. That December, she set out with her first load of troops. During the war, Pollock successfully transported 60,000 American soldiers toFrancein 18 round trips.[25]In 1918,George Washingtonwas tasked to deliverPresidentWoodrow Wilsonto theParis Peace Conference,though Pollock would not make the trip. He was reassigned on September 29, 1918.[26]

While on boardGeorge Washington,Pollock andChaplainPaul F. Bloomhardt edited a dailynewspaper.After the war, stories from the paper were assembled and published in 1919 by J. J. Little & Ives co. asHatchet of the United States Ship "George Washington".A short review of the work byOutlookmagazine called the book "readable" and "admirably illustrated". It "abounds in clever bits of fun, queer and notable incidents, and sound and patriotic editorials."[27] After the war, he was eventually reassigned to the battleshipUSSOklahoma,to serve in the Pacific fleet.[25]On November 10, 1920, Pollock was awarded aNavy Crossfor his services during the war.[28]

American Samoa[edit]

Map of American Samoa
Map of American Samoa

On November 30, 1921, Pollock was transferred from command ofOklahomato become the Military Governor ofAmerican Samoa.[29]Events both personal and political had led to a previous governor,Warren Terhune's,suicideon November 3, 1920, and the appointment of GovernorWaldo A. Evansto conduct a court of inquiry into the situation and to restore order. Pollock succeeded Evans, who had successfully restored the government and productivity of the islands after a period of unrest.[30]At this time, American Samoa was administered by a team of twelve officers and a governor, with a total population of approximately 8,000 people. The islands were primarily important due to the excellentharboratPago Pago.[31]

Beginning in 1920, aMau movement,from theSamoanword for "opposition", was forming in American Samoa in protest of several Naval government policies, some of which had been implemented by Terhune but which were not revoked following his death, which natives (and some non-natives) found heavy-handed. The movement itself may have been inspired by a different and older Mau movement in nearbyWestern Samoa,against theGermanand thenNew Zealandcolonialpowers. Some of the initial grievances of the movement included the quality of roads in the territory, a marriage law which largely forbade natives from marrying non-natives, and a justice system which discriminated against locals in part because laws were not often available in Samoan. In addition, the United States Navy also prohibited an assembly of Samoan chiefs, whom the movement considered the real government of the territory. Surprisingly, the movement had grown to include several prominent officers of former Governor Terhune's staff, including hisexecutive officer.It culminated in a proclamation bySamuel S. Ripley,anAmerican Samoanfrom anafakasior mixed-blood Samoan family, with large communal property in the islands, that he was the leader of a legitimate successor government to pre-1899 Samoa. Evans also met with the high chiefs and secured their assent to continued Naval government. Ripley, who had traveled to Washington to meet withSecretary of the NavyEdwin C. Denby,was not permitted by Evans to enter the port at American Samoa and returned toexilein California, where he later became the mayor ofRichmond.[30]

After being appointed as governor, Pollock's continued the colonization work started by his predecessor. Prior to traveling to the territory, he met with Ripley inSan Francisco, California.Although Ripley maintained that American "occupation" of Samoa was usurpation, he agreed to allow Pollock to govern unfettered and to provide him with copies of his letters. Almost immediately after arriving on the island, Pollock and Secretary of Native Affairs S. D. Hall met with representatives of the Mau, becoming the first governor to do so. Shortly afterwards, some members of the Mau disbanded, though the movement would continue in some form for another 13 years.[30]

Pollock's remaining time as governor was less eventful. While exploringTongain May 1923, he discovered a turtle which had been branded byCaptain Cookon his expedition there in 1773. The turtle was thus known to have lived more than 150 years.[32]He was ordered home on July 26, 1923.[33]

United States Naval Observatory[edit]

Asaph Hall's telescope at theU.S. Naval Observatory

Immediately on leaving Samoa, Pollock was appointed superintendent of theUnited States Naval ObservatoryinWashington, D.C.,replacing outgoingRear AdmiralWilliam D. MacDougal.[34]

On August 22, 1924,Marscame within 34,630,000 miles (55,730,000 km) of Earth. The U.S. Naval Observatory made no formal observations of the planet, but Pollock and the son of astronomerAsaph Hallceremonially re-enacted Hall's 1877 discoveries of the moonsPhobosandDeimoswith his original 17-inch (430 mm)telescope.[35]They also made observations to calculate the masses of the two moons.[36]

On January 24, 1925, Pollock commanded thedirigibleUSSLos Angeleson a flight fromLakehurst, New Jersey,to photograph asolar eclipsefrom an altitude of 8,000 feet (2,400 m). This was the first time an eclipse had been photographed from the air.[37]

After retirement[edit]

Pollock retired from service in 1927 and was replaced as superintendent by Captain Charles F. Freeman.[38]In 1930, Pollock and his wife purchased a summer home inJamestown, Rhode Island,while continuing to maintain their main residence in Washington, D.C. In 1932, he was made a director of the Jamestown Historical Society.[39]He also became interested in genealogy and published several works on his family's history through the 1930s.[40]He died on June 4, 1943, after a long illness and was buried inArlington National Cemeteryon June 7, 1943.[41]

Works[edit]

  • Hatchet of the United States Ship "George Washington",edited by Pollock and Paul F. Bloomhardt. A compilation of stories fromThe Hatchet,a daily printed on boardGeorge Washingtonduring the First World War. Published 1919.

References[edit]

  1. ^"Army and Navy".New York Times.1891-06-03. p. 6.;"Cadets To Be Examined".New York Times.1893-04-13. p. 3.
  2. ^Ulrich, Ron."Edwin Taylor Pollock/Beatrice E. Law Hale".Retrieved2007-01-22.
  3. ^"New-York's Trial Ended".New York Times.1893-12-15. p. 3.
  4. ^"Machias Will Sail For China".New York Times.1894-08-26. p. 5.
  5. ^"Old Salts Spin Yarns".New York Times.1897-05-18. p. 3.
  6. ^"The United Service".New York Times.1898-04-28. p. 3.
  7. ^"The United Service".New York Times.1900-01-28. p. 4.
  8. ^"The United Service".New York Times.1900-05-24. p. 5.;"The United Service".New York Times.1900-11-21. p. 11.
  9. ^"The United Service".New York Times.1901-03-09. p. 5.
  10. ^"The Brooklyn Home Again".New York Times.1902-05-02. p. 3.
  11. ^"The United Service".New York Times.1903-05-23. p. 14.
  12. ^"The United Service".New York Times.1904-08-14. p. 13.;"Orders to Naval Officers".Washington Post.1905-07-01. p. R8.
  13. ^"The United Service".New York Times.1904-08-14. p. 13.;"The United Service".New York Times.1906-02-03. p. 7.
  14. ^"The United Service".New York Times.1906-09-12. p. 6.
  15. ^"The United Service".New York Times.1907-05-02. p. 9.
  16. ^"United States Navy".New York Times.1910-08-25. p. E2.
  17. ^"The United Service".New York Times.1912-06-14. p. 21.;"The United Service".New York Times.1913-03-27. p. 21.
  18. ^"Wireless Feat Breaks Record".Los Angeles Times.1913-03-12. p. I5.
  19. ^"The United Service".New York Times.1916-01-08. p. 17.
  20. ^"Virgin Island Deal Foiled Berlin Plan".Washington Post.1917-04-10. p. 1.
  21. ^Wilfred Schoff (1916-08-18). "The Danish West Indies Ought to Pay".Los Angeles Times.p. II4.
  22. ^ab"Oliver to Govern Our New Islands".New York Times.1917-03-29. p. 12.
  23. ^"Pay Danes For Island".Washington Post.1917-04-01. p. 10.
  24. ^"U.S. Flag Over Virgin Islands".Washington Post.1917-04-02. p. 5.
  25. ^ab"'Gobs' Play Hosts to Navy Officers ".New York Times.1921-06-21. p. 20.
  26. ^Edwin Taylor Pollock and Paul F. Bloomhardt, ed. (1919).The Hatchet of the United States ship "George Washington"(2nd ed.). New York: J.J. Little & Ives Co. p.236.
  27. ^"War Books".Outlook:581. 1919-08-13.
  28. ^"Navy War Honors Omit Sims' Name".Washington Post.1920-11-11. p. 4.
  29. ^"Denby Appoints Governors".New York Times.1921-12-01. p. 24.
  30. ^abcGray, J. A. C. (1960).Amerika Samoa: History Of American Samoa And Its United States Naval Administration.Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. pp. 194–210.
  31. ^Overstreet, L. M. (1922-10-18). "Always On Guard".Outlook.pp. 290–294.
  32. ^"Turtle Branded by Capt. Cook In 1773 Is Now Found Alive".New York Times.1923-06-28. p. 1.
  33. ^"Naval Orders".New York Times.1923-07-28. p. 19.
  34. ^"News of Army and Navy".Washington Post.1923-09-02. p. 15.
  35. ^"Mars to be Photographed".New York Times.1924-08-20. p. 12.
  36. ^"Army Radio Force to Listen For Signals from Martians".Washington Post.1924-08-21. p. 9.
  37. ^"Scientists on Los Angeles Praise First Dirigible Eclipse Flight".New York Times.1925-01-25. pp. 1–2.
  38. ^"Capt. E.T. Pollock Rites Tomorrow".Washington Post.1943-06-06. p. M15.
  39. ^"Captain E. T. Pollock Dies In Washington".Newport Mercury And Weekly News.1943-06-11. p. 3.
  40. ^Pitoni, Ven (1985-09-20). "What's In a Name?".Fredrick Post.p. A-7.
  41. ^Sorensen, Stan (13 June 2008)."Historical Notes"(PDF).Tapuitea.Vol. III, no. 24. p. 2. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 18 June 2008.Retrieved2011-08-16.

External links[edit]

Political offices
Preceded by
Henri Konow
(Acting – Final Danish Governor)
 Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands
1917
(Acting) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Governor of American Samoa
1922–1923 		Succeeded by
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