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Gatewood Lincoln

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Gatewood Sanders Lincoln
A black and white pen outline of a young man from the shoulders up with neat hair which stops right above his ears. He is looking sternly at the viewer, and wears a military style buttoned coat. A small "W" in a box is seen in the very bottom right corner of the image.
A sketch of Lincoln in 1896, recently graduated from the Naval Academy.
Governor of American Samoa
In office
July 17, 1931 – May 12, 1932
Preceded byArthur Emerson
Succeeded byGeorge Landenberger
In office
August 2, 1929 – March 24, 1931
Preceded byStephen Victor Graham
Succeeded byJames Sutherland Spore
Personal details
Born(1875-08-05)August 5, 1875
Liberty, Missouri
DiedOctober 15, 1957(1957-10-15) (aged 82)
SpouseEnfield "Enna" Caryl Stogdale
Alma materWilliam Jewell College
United States Naval Academy
OccupationNaval officer
AwardsNavy Cross
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/serviceUnited States Navy Seal United States Navy
Rank Captain
CommandsUSS Powhatan; Department of Electrical Engineering and Physics at the United States Naval Academy
Battles/warsWorld War I, World War II

Gatewood Sanders Lincoln (August 5, 1875 – October 15, 1957) was a United States Navy officer who served as the governor of American Samoa. With Nathan Woodworth Post, Lincoln was one of only two American Samoan governors to serve non-consecutive terms. He commanded a supply ship during World War I and was an instructor at the United States Naval Academy, serving as Department Head of the College of Electrical Engineering and Physics.

Between Governor Lincoln's first and second terms, there were two acting governors.[1]

Biography

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Gatewood Lincoln was born in Liberty, Missouri, to James Edwin and Margaret Lincoln, natives of Lexington, Kentucky.[2] His father, a cousin of Abraham Lincoln, was probate judge of Clay County.[3] Gatewood was James Lincoln's mother's maiden name. Lincoln studied at William Jewell College in Liberty, before he was appointed to the United States Naval Academy in 1892.[3][4]

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Lincoln graduated from the Naval Academy in 1896, having been trained as a naval engineer.[5] He ranked second in his class and received his first assignment by request of the captain of the USS Philadelphia.[3][6] He was awarded the Navy Cross for his conduct as captain of the USS Powhatan on convoy duty during World War I.[7]

Lincoln served on the United States Shipping Board advisory board during the 1930s[8] and also at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard.[9] During World War I, he saw active duty in command of a supply ship in the Atlantic.[10] After the war, as a Commander, Lincoln was department head of Electrical Engineering and Physics at the Naval Academy.[11] In 1943, he was called back to active duty to take command of the Naval Ammunition Depot in Fallbrook, California.

Governorship

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Lincoln served two terms as Governor of American Samoa, from 2 August 1929 to 24 March 1931 and from 17 July 1931 to 12 May 1932.[12] He separated the responsibilities of the Chief Justice and the Attorney General, and he started a Samoan-led judicial commission to deal with matters involving land ownership, thereby granting the Samoan people more autonomy.[13]

During Governor Lincoln's first term, the long-awaited Congressional commission, appointed by the President under the Bingham Bill, arrived.[14] The congressional commission's visit from September to October 1930, and the subsequent release of its findings, led to a near halt in political unrest in the islands. Based on the commission's recommendations, a Bill of Rights was incorporated into the Codification of the Regulations and Orders for the Government.

In the 1920s, it became clear that the swift Americanization efforts were not benefiting Samoans. By 1927, the American Samoa Fono's attempt to limit educational reforms highlighted two major concerns: the disruptive effects of new knowledge and behaviors on students, and the diminishing respect for Samoan culture due to the influence of foreign teachers. This cultural disconnect led to a sense among Samoans that their children were becoming estranged from their traditional values and family ties. In response, Governor Lincoln proposed a shift in educational focus in a 1929 letter to the Board of Education, suggesting that Samoan history and customs should be taught, and that education should prioritize practical skills like agriculture over preparing students for government roles. This approach aimed to align education more closely with Samoan needs and values. This shift gained momentum in 1933 with significant changes introduced by a committee of educators from the University of Hawaiʻi, funded by the Barstow Foundation, who further adapted the curriculum to better serve local needs.[15]

References

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  1. ^ Sunia, Fofō Iosefa Fiti (2001). Puputoa: Host of Heroes - A record of the history makers in the First Century of American Samoa, 1900-2000. Suva, Fiji: Oceania Printers. Page 75. ISBN 9829036022.
  2. ^ US Census, 1880, Liberty, Clay County, Missouri, 379A
  3. ^ a b c "Gatewood Lincoln of Liberty Will Go for a Cruise on the Philadelphia". The Kansas City Star. Vol. 16, no. 248. Nelson. 23 May 1896. p. 8.
  4. ^ "US Navy Officers: 1798-1900 -- "L"". Officers of the Continental and U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, 1775-1900. Naval History & Heritage Command. 7 April 2006. Archived from the original on 23 June 2006. Retrieved 25 February 2010.
  5. ^ United States Naval Academy (1899). Annual Register of the U.S. Naval Academy. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office. p. 47. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
  6. ^ "Miss Lincoln a Bride; Daughter of U.S. Naval Captain Weds Ensign William Sinton". The New York Times. 20 August 1922. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  7. ^ "Full Text Citations For Award of The Navy Cross to Members of the US Navy: World War 1". Home of the Heroes. Military Times. 2010. Archived from the original on 3 August 2010. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  8. ^ "Shippers Confer on Drafting Code". The New York Times. 8 September 1933. p. 2.
  9. ^ United States Congress (1912). United States congressional serial set. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
  10. ^ Booker, Edna Lee (1940). News Is My Job - A Correspondent in War Torn China. The Macmillan Company. p. 160. ISBN 978-1-4067-4093-6. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
  11. ^ United States Naval Academy (1915). Annual Register of the U.S. Naval Academy. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office. p. 20. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
  12. ^ Government of American Samoa (2010). "Lieutenant Nathan Woodworth Post". American Samoa. Archived from the original on 27 May 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
  13. ^ Dardani, Ross (September 2020). "Citizenship in Empire: The Legal History of U.S. Citizenship in American Samoa, 1899-1960" (PDF). American Journal of Legal History. 60 (3): 342.
  14. ^ Sunia, Fofō Iosefa Fiti (2001). Puputoa: Host of Heroes - A record of the history makers in the First Century of American Samoa, 1900-2000. Suva, Fiji: Oceania Printers. Page 75. ISBN 9829036022.
  15. ^ Darden, Thomas F. (1952). Historical Sketch of the Naval Administration of the Government of American Samoa. U.S. Government Printing Office. Page 29.
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