Edward William Hanson was a United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 Rear admiral

Rear Admiral

Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...

 and the 28th Governor of American Samoa from June 26, 1938 to July 30, 1940. Hanson was born and lived in Alexandria, Minnesota

Alexandria, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 8,820 people, however the most recent count suggests a population upwards of 10,000, which is displayed on Alexandria's city limits signs. The census lists 4,047 households, and 2,011 families residing in the city. The population density was 992.5 people per...

. Hanson served at the Naval War College

Naval War College

The Naval War College is an education and research institution of the United States Navy that specializes in developing ideas for naval warfare and passing them along to officers of the Navy. The college is located on the grounds of Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island...

. He was the commanding officer of the USS Indianapolis (CA-35)

USS Indianapolis (CA-35)

USS Indianapolis was a of the United States Navy. She holds a place in history due to the circumstances of her sinking, which led to the greatest single loss of life at sea in the history of the U.S. Navy...

. He also commanded the 15th Naval District in the Panama Canal Zone

Panama Canal Zone

The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...

 and headed BatDiv

BatDiv

A BatDiv or BATDIV was a standard U.S. Navy abbreviation or acronym for "battleship division."The Commander of a Battleship Division is known, in official Navy communications, as COMBATDIV , such as COMBATDIV ONE....

 9. As Governor of American Samoa, Hanson believed that the native Samoans

Samoans

The Samoan people are a Polynesian ethnic group of the Samoan Islands, sharing genetics, language, history and culture. Due to colonialism, the home islands are politically and geographically divided between the country of Samoa, official name Independent State of Samoa ; and American Samoa, an...

 had a good way of life, and did little to interfere with established practices on the islands. At the time of his governorship, he was a Commander.