Melvin Herbert Evans (August 7, 1917 – November 27, 1984) was a United States Virgin Islander politician, who served as the appointive and the first elected governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands, serving from 1969 to 1975. After serving as governor he was delegate from the U.S. Virgin Islands to the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 1981.

Early life

Melvin Herbert Evans was born in Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands, on August 7, 1917,[1] to Charles Herbert and Maude Rogiers Evans.[2] He was raised by his mother and grandparents after his father moved to New York City.[3] In 1935, he graduated from Charlotte Amalie High School in Saint Thomas as valedictorian.[2]

Evans graduated from Howard University with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1940, and a Doctor of Medicine in 1944,[1] as magna cum laude.[4] He received a Master of Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley in 1967.[5] He studied cardiology under Helen B. Taussig at Johns Hopkins Hospital.[6] He met Mary Phyllis Anderson when she was a nurse at a hospital in New York. They married in 1945, and had four children.[7]

Medical and appointments

From 1942 to 1945, Evans was a second lieutenant in the United States Army Medical Corps.[1] He interned at Harlem Hospital in New York City from 1944 to 1945. At Frederiksted Municipal Hospital in St. Croix he was physician-in-charge from 1945 to 1948, a medical assistant in 1950, and chief municipal physician from 1951 to 1959.[8]

Infant mortality fell to match the national average in the United States and Anopheles were eliminated during Evans' tenure[9] as health commissioner for the U.S. Virgin Islands from 1959 to 1967.[1] He was on the board of the island's Selective Service Board of Appeals from 1967 to 1969.[8] He was the first chair of the board of trustees for the University of the Virgin Islands and president of the Virgin Islands Medical Association.[4]

Governor

Elections

The Elective Governor Acts of 1968 was passed by the United States Congress in August 1968, and provided for the governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands to be elected.[7] At the time of the 1970 gubernatorial election the Democrats held all of the seats in the legislature and only 700 of the 17,000 voters were registered Republicans.[10] Evans became the first elected governor[7] after he placed first in the initial round, which saw the Democratic nominee place third, and defeated Cyril King of the Independent Citizens Movement in the run-off.[11] King attacked him for selecting David Earle Maas, white man, as his lieutenant governor.[12]

Evans lost reelection in 1974.[7]

Tenure

Evans, a Democrat[13] who became a Republican in 1968,[14] was appointed by President Richard Nixon on June 13, 1969, to fill the vacancy created by Ralph Moses Paiewonsky's resignation,[15] and confirmed by the United States Senate on June 19.[16] Nixon initially nominated Richard Bove for the office, but faced opposition.[14] Evans was the first native-born black man to govern the island.[16][8] Two inaugurations, one on St. Thomas on July 1 and another on St. Croix on July 2, were held for him.[17]

The Southern Governors' Association was chaired by Evans from 1973 to 1974.[1] A liberal Republican,[18] Evans was the U.S. Virgin Islands' member of the Republican National Committee from 1976 to 1980, and attended the 1972 and 1976 Republican National Conventions as a delegate.[5]

U.S. House and ambassador

Ron de Lugo, the U.S. Virgin Islands' non-voting member of the United States House of Representatives, declined to run for reelection in 1978, and sought the governorship instead.[7] Evans was elected to succeed him, but lost reelection in 1980[5] to de Lugo.[7] He served on the Armed Services, Interior and Insular Affairs, and Merchant Marine and Fisheries committees during his tenure.[1]

Evans was appointed as the United States' ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago on December 1, 1981, and presented his credentials on January 1, 1982.[19] He died in Christiansted after suffering a heart attack on November 28, 1984, and was buried in the Christiansted Cemetery.[1][8] In 1985, the U.S. Virgin Islands legislature declared his birthday to be Melvin H. Evans Day.[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Life.
  2. ^ a b Centennial, p. 2.
  3. ^ Centennial, p. 9.
  4. ^ a b Trustees 1970.
  5. ^ a b c Biography.
  6. ^ Rackemann 1970.
  7. ^ a b c d e f House.
  8. ^ a b c d NYT 1984.
  9. ^ Barry 1970.
  10. ^ Hyman 1970.
  11. ^ Election 1970, p. 3.
  12. ^ Maas 1970.
  13. ^ Former Democrat 1970.
  14. ^ a b Bove 1969.
  15. ^ Nixon 1969.
  16. ^ a b First 1969.
  17. ^ Inauguration 1969.
  18. ^ Liberal Republican 1970.
  19. ^ Ambassador.
  20. ^ Centennial, p. 8.

Works cited

Newspapers

Web

Political offices
Preceded by Governor of the United States Virgin Islands
1969–1975 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
First Republican nominee for Governor of the United States Virgin Islands
1970 		Vacant
Title next held by
Julio Brady
1986
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives
from the United States Virgin Islands
1979–1981 		Succeeded by
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
Irving Cheslaw
 United States Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago
1982–1984 		Succeeded by
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melvin_H._Evans
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