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American admiral (1857–1928) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Harrison Oliver (1857 – April 6, 1928) was a rear admiral and member of the Naval Board of Strategy during World War I. He served as the first military governor of the United States Virgin Islands from 1917 to 1919. He was often referred to as J. H. Oliver.
James Harrison Oliver | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | 1857 Houston County, Georgia |
| Died | 6 April 1928 (aged 70–71) Shirley Plantation, Virginia |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1877–1921 |
| Rank | Rear Admiral |
| Commands | USS Culgoa |
| Battles / wars | World War I |
| Awards | Navy Cross |
Oliver was born in Houston County, Georgia. He graduated from Washington and Lee University in 1872 and the United States Naval Academy in 1877. In 1893, he moved to Shirley Plantation in Charles City, Virginia, where he married and established his lifelong residence, returning there whenever he was not serving in the navy.
In 1904, while commanding USS Culgoa as a lieutenant commander, his ship collided with a schooner in Delaware Bay, resulting in the deaths of 29 crew members from the schooner. Oliver was arrested and faced court-martial, but the trial was delayed for over a year, during which time he remained in command of his ship despite being technically under arrest. (In Navy tradition, he had also been stripped of his sword, a humiliating gesture.) He was eventually acquitted "with honor". At the ceremony where his sword was officially returned, Oliver broke the sword and threw it into the ocean, then immediately resigned from the navy. During his retirement, he briefly served as inspector of the Fourteenth Lighthouse District in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt reinstated his commission, reportedly saying, (with respect to his resignation) "I'd have done the same thing myself." Upon reinstatement, he was simultaneously promoted to commander.
He was promoted to captain in 1910 and rear admiral in 1916, just prior to the United States entrance into World War I. He was subsequently elevated to Chief of Naval Intelligence by 1917.
On March 28, 1917, he was appointed as Governor of the United States Virgin Islands by President Woodrow Wilson. (Edwin Taylor Pollock was made acting governor until his arrival.) He held the position for two years, until 1919. He was awarded the Navy Cross for his service as governor.[1]
The US government promptly granted him a loan of $200,000 ($3.4 million, adjusted for inflation) to cover occupation expenses, including building fortifications and stationing troops on the island. Dissatisfied with the quality of local educators, Oliver also requested additional instructors from the mainland.
From 1919 until the end of the war, he served on the Naval Board of Strategy. Oliver retired from the Navy in January 1921. He died of heart disease in 1928 at his home in Virginia.
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