Benjamin Franklin Tilley
Benjamin Franklin Tilley (March 29, 1848 – March 18, 1907) was a career officer in the United States Navy who served from the end of the American Civil War through the Spanish–American War. He is best remembered as the first acting governor of American Samoa as well as the territory's first naval governor.
Benjamin Franklin Tilley | |
|---|---|
Benjamin Franklin Tilley | |
| Born | March 29, 1848 Bristol, Rhode Island, United States |
| Died | March 18, 1907 (aged 58) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/ | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1863–1907 |
| Rank | Rear Admiral |
| Commands held | USS Bancroft USS Newport USS Vicksburg USS Abarenda USS Iowa Commandant of U.S. Naval Station Tutuila Commandant of League Island Naval Yard |
| Other work | Acting-Governor of American Samoa |
Tilley entered the United States Naval Academy during the height of the Civil War, graduating after the conflict. He gradually rose through the ranks and participated as a lieutenant in the United States military crackdown against strikers in the wake of the Great Railroad Strike of 1877. He and a small contingent of sailors and marines defended the American consulate in Santiago, Chile during the 1891 Chilean Civil War. He was a commander during the Spanish–American War, and his gunship USS Newport successfully captured two Spanish Navy ships. After the war, he was made the first acting-Governor of Tutuila and Manua (later called American Samoa) and set legal and administrative precedents for the new territory. After 41 years of service, he was promoted to rear admiral but died of pneumonia shortly afterwards.