High Commissioner of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands

{{Short description|US administrative office (1947–1994)}}

{{EngvarA|date=February 2017}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}

{{Infobox official post

| post = High Commissioner

| body = the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands

| native_name =

| insignia = Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands seal.svg

| insigniasize =

| insigniacaption = The seal of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands

| insigniaalt =

| flag =

| flagsize =

| flagalt =

| flagborder = yes

| flagcaption =

| image = Edward Elliott Johnston.jpg

| imagesize =

| alt =

| imagecaption = Longest serving
Edward E. Johnston

1 May 1969–1 July 1976

| incumbent =

| acting =

| incumbentsince =

| department =

| style =

| type =

| status =

| abbreviation =

| member_of =

| reports_to =

| residence =

| seat = Saipan

| nominator =

| appointer = President of the United States

| appointer_qualified =

| termlength =

| termlength_qualified =

| constituting_instrument =

| precursor = Governor of the South Seas Mandate

| formation = 18 July 1947

| first = Louis E. Denfeld

| last = Janet J. McCoy

| abolished = 10 July 1987

| succession =

| unofficial_names =

| deputy =

| salary =

| website =

| footnotes =

}}

File:TTPI-locatormap.png

File:MapofTTPI.gif

File:TTPI High Commissioner and staff.jpg

The high commissioner of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands was an official who administered the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI), a United Nations trusteeship in the Pacific Ocean under the administration of the United States, between 1947 and 1994. The territory consisted of islands captured by America during World War II, prior to which they had been part of the Empire of Japan as the South Seas Mandate, within the Japanese colonial empire. After World War II, United Nations Security Council Resolution 21 placed the territory under the United States trusteeship as the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. The islands are now part of Palau, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

List

The following is a list of the high commissioner of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, as well as their predecessors during the American occupation of the territory between 1944 and 1947.

(Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office)

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

! rowspan=2| {{Abbr|No.|Number}}

! rowspan=2| Portrait

! rowspan=2| Name
{{small|(Birth–Death)}}

! colspan=3| Term of office

Took office

! Left office

! Time in office

colspan=6| {{Flag|United States Navy}} control
style="background:#efefef;"

| colspan=6| Military Governor

1

| 60px

| John H. Hoover
{{small|(1887–1970)}}

| March 1944

| 19 June 1944

| {{age in years and months|1944|03|01|1944|06|19}}

style="background:#efefef;"

| colspan=6| Military Governor and {{Flagicon image|Seal of the Commander of the United States Pacific Fleet.svg}} CINCPACFLT

2

| 60px

| Chester W. Nimitz
{{small|(1885–1966)}}

| 19 June 1944

| 24 November 1945

| {{ayd|1944|06|19|1945|11|24}}

3

| 60px

| Raymond A. Spruance
{{small|(1885–1969)}}

| 24 November 1945

| 3 February 1946

| {{ayd|1945|11|24|1946|02|03}}

4

| 60px

| John H. Towers
{{small|(1885–1955)}}

| 3 February 1946

| 28 February 1947

| {{ayd|1946|02|03|1947|02|28}}

5

| 60px

| Louis E. Denfeld
{{small|(1891–1972)}}

| 28 February 1947

| 18 July 1947

| {{ayd|1947|02|28|1947|07|18}}

colspan=6| {{Flag|Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands}}
style="background:#efefef;"

| colspan=6| High Commissioner and {{Flagicon image|Seal of the Commander of the United States Pacific Fleet.svg}} CINCPACFLT

1{{efn|Numbering restarted for civil (rather than military) office.}}

| 60px

| Louis E. Denfeld
{{small|(1891–1972)}}

| 18 July 1947

| 17 April 1948

| {{ayd|1947|07|18|1948|04|17}}

2

| 60px

| DeWitt Clinton Ramsey
{{small|(1888–1961)}}

| 17 April 1948

| 1 May 1949

| {{ayd|1948|04|17|1949|05|01}}

3

| 60px

| Arthur W. Radford
{{small|(1896–1973)}}

| 1 May 1949

| 6 January 1951

| {{ayd|1949|05|01|1951|01|06}}

style="background:#efefef;"

| colspan=6| High Commissioner

4

| 60px

| Elbert D. Thomas
{{small|(1883–1953)}}

| 6 January 1951

| 11 February 1953 †

| {{ayd|1951|01|06|1953|02|11}}

5

|

| Frank E. Midkiff
{{small|(1887–1983)}}

| 13 March 1953

| 1 September 1954

| {{ayd|1953|03|13|1954|09|01}}

| rowspan=2|60px

| rowspan=2|Delmas H. Nucker
{{small|(1907–1985)}}

| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|1 September 1954

| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|November 1956

| rowspan=2|{{ayd|1954|09|01|1961|05|01}}

6

| November 1956

| 1 May 1961

7

| 60px

| Maurice W. Goding
{{small|(1911–1989)}}

| 1 May 1961

| 27 May 1966

| {{ayd|1961|05|01|1966|05|27}}

| rowspan=2|

| rowspan=2|William R. Norwood
{{small|(1909–1981)}}

| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|27 May 1966

| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|1 August 1966

| rowspan=2|{{ayd|1966|05|27|1969|05|01}}

8

| 1 August 1966

| 1 May 1969

9

| 60px

| Edward E. Johnston
{{small|(1918–2011)}}

| 1 May 1969

| 1 July 1976

| {{ayd|1969|05|01|1976|07|01}}

style="background:#e6e6aa;"

| –

| 60px

| Peter Tali Coleman
{{small|(1919–1997)}}

| 1 July 1976

| February 1977

| {{age in years and months|1976|07|01|1977|02|01}}

style="background:#e6e6aa;"

| –

|

| James Boyd Mackenzie
{{small|(1918–1978)}}

| February 1977

| 9 July 1977

| {{age in years and months|1977|02|01|1977|07|09}}

10

| 60px

| Adrian P. Winkel
{{small|(1915–1994)}}

| 9 July 1977

| 1981

| {{age in years|1977|1981}} years

style="background:#e6e6aa;"

| –

|

| Daniel Joseph High
{{small|(born 1938)}}

| 1981

| December 1981

| {{age in years|1981|1981}} years

11

|

| Janet J. McCoy
{{small|(1916–1995)}}

| December 1981

| 10 July 1987

| {{age in years and months|1981|12|01|1987|07|10}}

style="background:#efefef;"

| colspan=6| Director of the Office of Transition

12

|

| Charles D. Jordan

| 3 November 1986

| 30 September 1991

| {{ayd|1986|11|03|1991|09|30}}

Palau

Notes

{{notelist}}

See also

References