Edwin Taylor Pollock

Infobox Military Person
name=Edwin Taylor Pollock
lived= birth date|1870|10|25ndash death date and age|1943|6|4|1870|10|25
placeofbirth=Mount Gilead, Ohio
placeofdeath=Washington, DC


caption=Capt. Pollock as Superintendent of the U. S. Naval Observatory
nickname=
allegiance= United States of America
serviceyears=1893–1927
rank=Captain
commands=USS "Virginia" USS "Kearsarge" USS "Salem" USS "Alabama" USS "Hancock" USS "George Washington" USS "Oklahoma"
Commandant U.S. Naval Station Tutuila
Superintendent U.S. Naval Observatory
unit=
battles=Battle of Santiago de Cuba
awards=Navy Cross
relations=
laterwork=Military Governor of the U. S. Virgin Islands (acting) and American Samoa
branch=United States Navy

Edwin Taylor Pollock (October 25, 1870ndash June 6, 1943) was a career officer in the United States Navy, serving in both the Spanish-American War and World War I. He was subsequently promoted to the rank of Captain. Like many naval officers, his name was often abbreviated using initials: E. T. Pollock.

As a young ensign, Pollock served on board the USS "New York" during the Spanish-American War. After the war, he gradually rose through the ranks and served on many ships, including doing important research into wireless communication. Less than a week before World War I, he won a race against a fellow officer to be the one to officially sign over the U.S. Virgin Islands from the Danish and serve as the territory's first acting-governor. During the war, he was promoted to captain and successfully transferred 60,000 American soldiers to France, for which he was awarded a Navy Cross. Afterward, he was made the eighth Naval Governor of American Samoa and then the superintendent of the United States Naval Observatory, before retiring in 1927.

Early career

Originally from Mount Gilead, Ohio, Pollock attended the United States Naval Academy and, as a cadet, was assigned to the USS "Lancaster" and the USS "Monocacy".cite news |title=Army and Navy |work=New York Times |page=6 |date=1891-06-03; cite news |title=Cadets To Be Examined |work=New York Times |page=3 |date=1893-04-13] He graduated with a rank of ensign in 1893.

After graduation, Pollock returned to Ohio and married Beatrice E. Law Hale on December 5.cite web |url=http://www.ronulrich.com/rfuged/fam12851.htm |title=Edwin Taylor Pollock/Beatrice E. Law Hale |accessdate=2007-01-22 |format= |work= |last=Ulrich |first=Ron] Two weeks later, he was assigned to the cruiser USS "New York" during its initial shake-down.cite news |title=New-York's Trial Ended |work=New York Times |page=3 |date=1893-12-15] He was subsequently assigned to the gunboat USS "Machias" for an expedition to China.cite news |title=Machias Will Sail For China |work=New York Times |page=5 |date=1894-08-26] He remained in China for two and a half years as part of the Asiatic Squadron, transferring eventually to the USS "Detroit" before returning home in 1897.cite news |title=Old Salts Spin Yarns |work=New York Times |page=3 |date=1897-05-18] On his return home, the Spanish-American War was heating up and he was reassigned to the USS "New York", to see service in Cuba and Puerto Rico, eventually taking part in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba.cite news |title=The United Service |work=New York Times |page=3 |date=1898-04-28]

In January 1900, he was promoted to lieutenant and assigned to the USS "Alliance".cite news |title=The United Service |work=New York Times |page=4 |date=1900-01-28] Over the following year, he would serve on the USS "Dolphin" and the USS "Buffalo".cite news |title=The United Service |work=New York Times |page=5 |date=1900-05-24; cite news |title=The United Service |work=New York Times |page=11 |date=1900-11-21] On board the "Buffalo", he returned to the Asiatic Squadron near China and was finally transferred to the USS "Brooklyn", the squadron's flagship.cite news |title=The United Service |work=New York Times |page=5 |date=1901-03-09] He remained on board the "Brooklyn", until its return home in May 1902.cite news |title=The Brooklyn Home Again |work=New York Times |page=3 |date=1902-05-02] After a brief leave, Pollock was assigned to the USS "Chesapeake" (as the watch and division officer), a position he held for more than a year.cite news |title=The United Service |work=New York Times |page=14 |date=1903-05-23] He was subsequently transferred to the USS "Cincinnati", serving for another year, and then to Cavite Naval Base.cite news |title=The United Service |work=New York Times |page=13 |date=1904-08-14; cite news |title=Orders to Naval Officers |work=Washington Post |page=R8 |date=1905-07-01] At Cavite, he was promoted to lieutenant commander in February 1906.cite news |title=The United Service |work=New York Times |page=13 |date=1904-08-14; cite news |title=The United Service |work=New York Times |page=7 |date=1906-02-03]

His first duty as a lieutenant commander was on the USS "Alabama", as the navigator.cite news |title=The United Service |work=New York Times |page=6 |date=1906-09-12] In 1910, Pollock was reassigned to the USS "Massachusetts", where he was promoted to commander in March 1911.cite news |title=The United Service |work=New York Times |page=9 |date=1907-05-02] cite news |title=United States Navy |work=New York Times |page=E2 |date=1910-08-25]

On his promotion, Pollock commanded the USS "Virginia" and the USS "Kearsarge", before being transferred to the United States Naval Observatory.cite news |title=The United Service |work=New York Times |page=21 |date=1912-06-14; cite news |title=The United Service |work=New York Times |page=21 |date=1913-03-27] During his command of the "Kearsarge", Pollock briefly commanded the USS "Salem" for a world-record setting wireless experiment. For this experiment, the "Salem" was outfitted with 16 different wireless telegraph technologies and sailed to Gibraltar, with Pollock commanding. On arrival, they tested these technologies and set a world-record for longest wireless telegraph distance, convert|2400|mi|km, using a "Poulsen Apparatus", based on principles by Valdemar Poulsen. Experiments were also conducted to determine wireless characteristics during inclement weather and during both the day and night.cite news |title=Wireless Feat Breaks Record |work=Los Angeles Times |page=I5 |date=1913-03-12] In 1916, he was put in command of the USS "Alabama", the ship on which he previously was the navigator.cite news |title=The United Service |work=New York Times |page=17 |date=1916-01-08]

U.S. Virgin Islands

.cite news |title=Pay Danes For Island|work=Washington Post|page=10 |date=1917-04-01]

Oliver was unable to travel immediately to the Islands and the honor of being the first Acting Governor of the United States Virgin Islands was decided in an unusual way. Both Pollock, commanding the USS "Hancock", and B. B. Blerer's USS "Olympia" were 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. Pollock arrived first and the transfer ceremony took place on March 31, 1917 on Saint Thomas. Blerer officiated at a smaller ceremony on Saint Croix. Present for the handover was the crew of the KDM "Valkyrien" and the former island legislature.cite news |title=U.S. Flag Over Virgin Islands|work=Washington Post|page=5 |date=1917-04-02] The United States declared war on Germany on April 6, less than a week after securing the islands. Oliver was confirmed by Congress on April 20 and relieved Pollock as Governor.

World War I

During the war, Pollock was appointed as Captain on the USS "George Washington", a German cruise liner which was repossessed by the United States military for use as a transport ship. She was rechristened "George Washington" in 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 60,00 American soldiers to France in 18 round trips.cite news |title='Gobs' Play Hosts to Navy Officers|work=New York Times|page=20 |date=1921-06-21] In 1918, the "George Washington" was tasked to deliver President Woodrow Wilson to the Paris Peace Conference, though Pollock would not make the trip. He was reassigned on September 29, 1918.cite book |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |editor=Edwin Taylor Pollock and Paul F. Bloomhardt |others= |title=The Hatchet of the United States ship "George Washington" |origdate= |origyear=1919 |origmonth= |url= |format= |accessdate= |accessyear= |accessmonth= |edition=2nd ed. |series= |year=1919 |year= |month= |publisher=J.J. Little & Ives Co.|location=New York |language= |isbn= |oclc= |doi= |id= |pages=236 |chapter= |chapterurl= |quote=]

While on board the "George Washington", Pollock and Chaplain Paul F. Bloomhardt edited a daily newspaper. After the war, stories from the paper were assembled and published in 1919 by J. J. Little & Ives co. as "Hatchet of the United States Ship "George Washington". A short review of the work by "Outlook" magazine called the book "readable" and "admirably illustrated". It "abounds in clever bits of fun, queer and notable incidents, and sound and patriotic editorials."cite journal |date=08-13-1919 |title=War Books |journal=Outlook |pages=581] After the war, he was eventually reassigned to the battleship USS "Oklahoma", to serve in the Pacific fleet. On November 10, 1920, Pollock was awarded a Navy Cross for his services during the war.cite news |title=Navy War Honors Omit Sims' Name|work=Washington Post|page=4 |date=1920-11-11]

American Samoa

who had successfully restored the government and productivity of the islands after a period of unrest.cite book |last=Gray |first=J. A. C. |title=Amerika Samoa: History Of American Samoa And Its United States Naval Administration |origyear=1960 |publisher=United States Naval Institute |location=Annapolis, Maryland |pages=194–210] 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 excellent harbor at Pago Pago.cite news |title=Always On Guard |work=Outlook |pages=290–294 |date=1922-10-18 |last=Overstreet |first=L. M.]

Beginning in 1920, a Mau movement, from the Samoan word for "opposition", was forming in American Samoa in protest of several Naval government policies which natives (and some non-natives) found heavy-handed. The movement itself may have been inspired by a different and older Mau movement in nearby Western Samoa, against the German and then New Zealand colonial powers. 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, who the movement considered the real government of the territory. Surprisingly, the movement grew to include several prominent officers of Governor Warren Jay Terhune's staff, including his executive officer. It culminated in a proclamation by Samuel S. Ripley, an American Samoan born of an American father and Samoan mother and also a large property-holder in the territory, that he was the leader of a legitimate successor government to pre-1899 Samoa. These events indirectly led to Terhune's suicide on November 3, 1920 and the appointment of Governor Evans to conduct a court of inquiry into the situation and to restore order. Evans also met with the high chiefs and secured their assent to continued Naval government. Ripley, who had traveled to Washington to meet with Secretary of the Navy Edwin C. Denby, was not permitted by Evans to return to American Samoa and remained in exile in California.

After being appointed as Governor, Pollock's continued the cleanup work started by his predecessor. Prior to traveling to the territory, he met with Ripley in San 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 moment would continue in some form for another thirteen years.

Pollock's remaining time as governor was less eventful. In May 1923, he discovered while exploring Tonga a turtle which had been branded by Captain Cook on his expedition there in 1773. The turtle was known to have lived more than 150 years.cite news |title=Turtle Branded by Capt. Cook In 1773 Is Now Found Alive|work=New York Times|page=1 |date=1923-06-28] He was ordered home on July 26, 1923.cite news |title=Naval Orders|work=New York Times|page=19 |date=1923-07-28]

United States Naval Observatory

William D. MacDougal.cite news |title=News of Army and Navy|work=Washington Post|page=15 |date=1923-09-02]

On August 22, 1924, Mars came within convert|34630000|mi|km of Earth. The US Naval Observatory made no formal observations of the planet, but Pollock and the son of astronomer Asaph Hall ceremonially re-enacted Hall's 1877 discoveries of the Phobos and Deimos on the original convert|17|in|mm|sing=on telescope which was used for his initial observations.cite news |title=Mars to be Photographed|work=New York Times|page=12 |date=1924-08-20] They also made observations to calculate the masses of the two moons.cite news |title=Army Radio Force to Listen For Signals from Martians|work=Washington Post|page=9 |date=1924-08-21]

On January 24, 1925, Pollock commanded the dirigible USS "Los Angeles" on a flight from Lakehurst, New Jersey to photograph a solar eclipse from an altitude of convert|8000|ft|m. This was the first time an eclipse had been photographed from the air.cite news |title=Scientists on Los Angeles Praise First Dirigible Eclipse Flight|work=New York Times|pages=1–2 |date=1925-01-25]

After retirement

Pollock retired from service in 1927 and was replaced as superintendent by Captain Charles F. Freeman.cite news |title=Capt. E.T. Pollock Rites Tomorrow|work=Washington Post|page=M15 |date=1943-06-06] In 1930, Pollock and his wife purchased a summer home in Jamestown, Rhode Island, remaining also in Washington, DC. In 1932, he was made a director of the Jamestown Historical Society.cite news |title=Captain E. T. Pollock Dies In Washington|work=Newport Mercury And Weekly News|pages=3 |date=1943-06-11] He also became interested in genealogy and published several works on his family's history through the 1930s.cite news |title=What's In a Name?|work=Fredrick Post|pages=A-7 |date=1985-09-20|first=Ven|last=Pitoni] He died in 1943 after a long illness and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Works

* "Hatchet of the United States Ship "George Washington", edited by Pollock and Paul F. Bloomhardt. A compilation of stories from "The Hatchet", a daily printed on board the USS "George Washington" during the First World War. Published 1919.

References

Persondata
NAME=Pollock, Edwin Taylor
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=US Navy Captain, Naval Governor
DATE OF BIRTH=October 25, 1870
PLACE OF BIRTH=Mount Gilead, Ohio
DATE OF DEATH=June 4, 1943
PLACE OF DEATH=Washington, DC