Chronological Governors of St Croix

The Danish West India Company first attempted to establish a settlement on St. Thomas in 1657 but faced challenges, including resistance from local Caribs and environmental hardships. Denmark formally established its claim over St. Thomas in 1671, under the auspices of the Danish West India Company. The company managed the island as a private venture, focusing on developing plantations and trade.

The first official Danish governor, Jørgen Iversen Dyppel, arrived in 1672 to oversee the colony’s administration and development.

St. Thomas was later joined by St. John (acquired in 1718) and St. Croix (purchased from France in 1733) to form the Danish West Indies, which remained under Danish control until their sale to the United States in 1917.

The Danish West India-Guinea Company appointed Governors to St Croix until it was dissolved due to dissatisfaction with the company’s lucrative privileges. In 1754, the state of Denmark took over the administration of the colonies in the West Indies and Guinea, and trade was opened to everyone. From this point, until transfer to the US, the state of Denmark appointed Governors-general.

During the Napoleonic Wars, Britain temporarily seized the Danish West Indies, including St. Croix, as part of its strategy to control trade routes and prevent them from falling into French hands.This occupation was brief, lasting about a year, and the islands were returned to Denmark in 1802 following the Treaty of Amiens.

Britain again occupied the Danish West Indies, including St. Croix, starting in 1807, after the breakdown of the Treaty of Amiens and Denmark’s alignment with Napoleon. This occupation lasted until April 1815, after the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars. During this time, Britain administered the islands but did not claim permanent sovereignty, as the intention was to control strategic territories during the war. After the Napoleonic Wars, the Danish West Indies were returned to Denmark under the terms of the Treaty of Kiel.

St Croix Governors (1735–1755)

  • Frederik Moth (1735–1736)
  • Gregers Høeg Nissen (interim) (1736–1744)
  • Poul Jensen Lindemark (interim) (1744–1747)
  • Jens Hansen (1747–1751)
  • Peter Clausen (1st term) (1751–1755)

St Croix Governors-general (1755–1917)

  • Christian Leberecht von Prøck (1755–1766)
  • Peter Clausen (2nd term) (1766–1770)
  • Frederik Christian Moth (1770–1772)
  • Ulrich Wilhelm von Roepstorff (1772–1773)
  • Henrik Ludvig Ernst von Schimmelmann (1st term) (1773-1773)
  • Peter Clausen (3rd term) (1773–1784)
  • Henrik Ludvig Ernst von Schimmelmann (2nd term) (1784–1787)
  • Ernst Frederik von Walterstorff (1st term) (1787–1794)
  • Wilhelm Anton Lindemann (1st term) (1794–1796)
  • Thomas de Malleville (1796–1798)
  • Wilhelm Anton Lindemann (2nd term) (1798–1801)
  • Francis Fuller (British governor) (1801–1802)
  • Ernst von Walterstorff (1802–1803 (2nd term)
  • Balthazar Frederik von Mühlenfels (1802–1807)
  • Hans Christopher Lillienskjøld (1807–1807)
  • Henry Bowyer (British governor) (1807–1808)
  • George William Richard Harcourt (British governor) (1808–1812)
  • Edward Scott (acting British governor) (1812–1813)
  • George William Ramsay (British governor) (1813–1815)
  • Peter Lotharius von Oxholm (1815–1816)
  • Johan Henrik Christian von Stabel (1st term) (1816–1816)
  • Adrian Benjamin Bentzon (1816–1819)
  • Johan Henrik Christian von Stabel (2nd term) (1819–1820)
  • Carl Adolph Rothe (1820–1822)
  • Johan Frederik Bardenfleth (1822–1827)
  • Peter Carl Frederik von Scholten (1st term acting) (1827–1831)
  • Johannes Søbøtker (1st term acting) (1831–1832)
  • Peter Carl Frederik von Scholten (2nd term acting) (1832–1834)
  • Johannes Søbøtker (2nd term) (1834–1836)
  • Peter Carl Frederik von Scholten (3rd term) (1836–1848) – Notably abolished slavery in the Danish West Indies on July 3, 1848.
  • Frederik von Oxholm (acting) (1848–1848)
  • Peder Hansen (1848–1851)
  • Hans Ditmar Frederik Feddersen (1851–1855)
  • Johan Frederik Schlegel (1855–1861)
  • Wilhelm Ludvig Birch (1861–1871)
  • John Christmas (1871–1871)
  • Frantz Ernst Bille (acting) (1871–1872)
  • Johan August Stakeman (acting) (1872–1872)
  • Janus August Garde (1st term) (1872–1876)
  • Carl Anton Frederik Christian Hattensen (1st term acting) (1876–1876)
  • Janus August Garde (2nd term) (1876–1881)
  • Christian Henrik Arendrup (1st term) (1881–1884)
  • Peter Mathias Simonsen Andersen (1st term acting) (1884–1885)
  • Christian Henrik Arendrup (2nd term) (1885–1888)
  • Peter Mathias Simonsen Andersen (2nd term acting) (1888–1889)
  • Christian Henrik Arendrup (3rd term) (1889–1893)
  • Carl Emil Hedemann (1893–1903)
  • Herman August (1903–1904)
  • Frederik Theodor Martin Mortensen Nordlien (1904–1905)
  • Christian Magdalus Thestrup Gold (1905–1908)
  • Peter Carl Limpricht (1908–1911)
  • Lars Christian Helweg-Larsen (1st term) (1911–1915)
  • Reimund Baumann (acting) (1915–1915)
  • Lars Christian Helweg-Larsen (2nd term) (1915–1916)
  • Henri Konow (acting) (1916–1917) – A Danish naval officer appointed as the acting governor in December 1916 to assist with and oversee the smooth handover of the islands to the United States.
  • Henning G. H. Stærdahl (1916–1917) – The last Danish governor, presiding over the territory until the transfer to the United States on March 31, 1917.

Under US Administration

Initially, under US administration, Governors were appointed, not elected. The distinction between appointed and elected governors reflects the territory’s political and administrative evolution under both colonial and U.S. rule.

Why Appointed?

  • Colonial Governance Tradition:
    • When the United States purchased the Danish West Indies (now the USVI) in 1917, the islands were treated as an unincorporated territory. This meant they were under U.S. sovereignty but without the full constitutional rights granted to states.
    • In such territories, the U.S. federal government typically appointed governors to maintain direct control over administration and governance.
  • National Security Concerns:
    • The U.S. purchased the islands partly for strategic reasons during World War I, fearing that Germany might seize the territory. Direct federal oversight through appointed governors ensured that the islands’ strategic interests aligned with U.S. national security goals.
  • Limited Local Self-Government:
    • Early in U.S. rule, the local population had little say in governance. Key decisions were made in Washington, D.C., and governors were appointed to enforce federal policies and manage territorial affairs.

Why Transition to Elected Governors?

  • Growing Demand for Self-Determination:
    • Over time, the people of the Virgin Islands pushed for greater self-governance and political representation. The appointed governor system was seen as undemocratic and disconnected from the local population’s needs.
    • As part of a broader movement in U.S. territories (similar transitions happened in Puerto Rico and Guam), Virgin Islanders sought the ability to choose their own leaders.
  • Organic Act Amendments:
    • The Revised Organic Act of 1954, which serves as the USVI’s constitution-like document, granted increased self-governance, including the establishment of a locally elected legislature.
    • In 1968, Congress amended the Organic Act to allow Virgin Islanders to elect their governors starting in 1970.
  • Alignment with Democratic Principles:
    • Allowing elections for the governorship aligned the USVI more closely with democratic ideals and practices in the rest of the United States.
    • This change reflected a broader recognition of the right of U.S. citizens in territories to participate more fully in their governance.

Appointed Governors (1917–1970)

Naval Governors (1917–1931):

  • Rear Admiral James Harrison Oliver: April 20, 1917 – April 8, 1919
  • Rear Admiral Joseph Wallace Oman: April 8, 1919 – April 26, 1921
  • Rear Admiral Sumner Ely Wetmore Kittelle: April 26, 1921 – September 16, 1922
  • Captain Henry Hughes Hough: September 16, 1922 – December 3, 1923
  • Captain Philip Williams: December 3, 1923 – September 11, 1925
  • Captain Martin Edward Trench: September 12, 1925 – January 6, 1927
  • Captain Waldo A. Evans: January 19, 1927 – March 18, 1931

Civilian Governors (1931–1970):

  • Paul Martin Pearson: March 18, 1931 – July 23, 1935
  • Lawrence William Cramer: August 21, 1935 – December 14, 1940
  • Charles Harwood: February 3, 1941 – May 17, 1946
  • William H. Hastie: May 17, 1946 – October 21, 1949
  • Morris Fidanque de Castro: October 21, 1949 – April 9, 1954
  • Archie Alexander: April 9, 1954 – August 18, 1955
  • Walter A. Gordon: October 17, 1955 – September 25, 1958
  • John David Merwin: September 25, 1958 – April 5, 1961
  • Ralph Moses Paiewonsky: April 5, 1961 – February 12, 1969
  • Cyril King (Acting): February 12, 1969 – July 1, 1969
  • Melvin H. Evans: July 1, 1969 – January 6, 1970

Elected Governors (1970–Present)

  • Melvin H. Evans: January 6, 1970 – January 6, 1975 (Republican)
  • Cyril E. King: January 6, 1975 – January 2, 1978 (Independent Citizens Movement)
  • Juan Francisco Luis: January 2, 1978 – January 5, 1987 (Independent Citizens Movement until 1979; Independent thereafter)
  • Alexander A. Farrelly: January 5, 1987 – January 2, 1995 (Democratic)
  • Roy L. Schneider: January 2, 1995 – January 4, 1999 (Independent)
  • Charles W. Turnbull: January 4, 1999 – January 1, 2007 (Democratic)
  • John de Jongh: January 1, 2007 – January 5, 2015 (Democratic)
  • Kenneth E. Mapp: January 5, 2015 – January 7, 2019 (Independent)
  • Albert Bryan Jr.: January 7, 2019 – Present (Democratic)

Acknowledgement to https://www.worldstatesmen.org/ for the concise chronology of Danish rule.

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