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{{Short description|U.S. Navy rear admiral, Naval Acting-Governor of American Samoa}}

{{Infobox Military Person

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}

|name=Benjamin Franklin Tilley

{{Infobox military person

|lived=[[1848]]–[[March 18]], [[1907]]

|honorific_prefix = Commandant

|placeofbirth=[[Bristol, Rhode Island]]

|name = Benjamin Franklin Tilley

|placeofdeath=[[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]]

|image =[[Image:BenjaminFranklinTilley.jpg|250px| Benjamin Franklin Tilley]] - NH 67313.jpg

|image_size = 225px

|caption=Benjamin Franklin Tilley

|caption = Benjamin Franklin Tilley

|nickname=

|birth_date = {{birth date|1848|3|29}}

|allegiance=[[United States of America]]

|birth_place = [[Bristol, Rhode Island]], U.S.

|serviceyears=1863-1907

|death_date = {{death date and age|1907|3|18|1848|3|29}}

|rank=[[Rear Admiral]]

|death_place = [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], U.S.

|branch=[[United States Navy]]

|nickname =

|commands=[[USS Bancroft (1892)|USS ''Bancroft'']]<br />[[USS Newport (PG-12)|USS ''Newport'']] <br /> [[USS Abarenda (AC-13)|USS ''Abarenda'']]<br />[[USS Iowa (BB-4)|USS ''Iowa'']]

|allegiance = United States

|unit=

|serviceyears = 1863–1907

|battles=

|rank = [[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear admiral]]

|awards=

|branch = {{navy|United States}}

|relations=

|branch_label = Branch

|laterwork=Acting-Governor (Commandant) of Tutuila

|commands = {{Plain list|

* {{USS|Bancroft|1892|6}}

* {{USS|Newport|PG-12|6}}

* {{USS|Vicksburg|PG-11|6}}

* {{USS|Abarenda|AC-13|6}}

* {{USS|Iowa|BB-4|6}}

* [[United States Naval Station Tutuila|U.S. Naval Station Tutuila]]

* [[League Island Naval Yard]]

}}

|unit =

'''Benjamin Franklin Tilley''' ([[1848]]&ndash;[[March 18]], [[1907]]) was a career officer in the [[United States Navy]] serving from the end of the [[American Civil War]] through the [[Spanish-American War]]. At the conclusion of his 41 years of service, he was promoted to [[Rear Admiral]]. He is often known by his initials, '''B. F. Tilley'''.

|battles =

|awards =

|relations =

|module = {{infobox officeholder |embed=yes

|office = [[List of governors of American Samoa|Naval administrator of American Samoa]]

|term_start = February 17, 1900

|term_end = November 27, 1901

|predecessor = ''Office established''

|successor = [[Uriel Sebree]]

}}

}}

'''Benjamin Franklin Tilley''' (March 29, 1848{{spaced ndash}}March 18, 1907) was an American [[United States Navy|Naval officer]] who served from the end of the [[American Civil War]] through the [[Spanish–American War]]. He was the first [[List of governors of American Samoa|acting governor of American Samoa]] as well as the territory's first naval governor.<ref>{{cite newsletter |first=Stan |last=Sorensen |title=Historical Notes |page=2 |url=http://americansamoa.gov/tapuitea/2008/Tapuitea080613.pdf |work=Tapuitea |volume=III |issue=24 |date=June 13, 2008 |access-date=August 16, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080618183627/http://americansamoa.gov/tap08/Tapuitea_current.pdf |archive-date=June 18, 2008 }}</ref>

At the height of the Civil War, Tilley entered the [[United States Naval Academy]] whenduring hethe washeight onlyof 15.the GraduatingCivil afterWar, thegraduating end ofafter the war,conflict. heHe gradually rose through the ranks. Inand 1877participated as a [[lieutenant]], he participated onin the United States military crackdown against workersstrikers in the wake of the [[Great railroadRailroad strikeStrike of 1877]]. During the [[Chilean Civil War]] of 1890, TilleyHe and a small contingent of sailors and marines defended the American consulate in [[Santiago, Chile]] againstduring the insurgents[[1891 Chilean Civil War]]. AsHe was a [[commander]] during the [[Spanish-AmericanSpanish–American War]], Tilley and his ship,gunship the [[{{USS |Newport (|PG-12)|USS ''Newport'']],6}} successfully captured two [[Spanish Navy]] ships. After the war, Tilleyhe was made the first acting-Governor of [[American Samoa|TituilaTutuila and Manua]] (later called [[American Samoa]]) and set many of the legal and administrative precedents offor thatthe new territory. After 41 years of service, he was promoted to rear admiral but died of pneumonia shortly afterwards.

==NavalEarly life and naval career==

Benjamin Franklin Tilley was born on March 29, 1848, in [[Bristol, Rhode Island]], the sixth of nine children.<ref name="governors-gallery">{{cite web |url=http://americansamoa.gov/governors/tilley.htm |title=Tilley |access-date=May 18, 2008 |year=2007|publisher=Government of American Samoa |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517103033/http://www.americansamoa.gov/governors/tilley.htm <!--Added by H3llBot--> |archive-date=May 17, 2008}}</ref> He enrolled in the [[United States Naval Academy]] on September 22, 1863, at the age of 15 and in the midst of the American Civil War.<ref name="living-officers">{{cite book |last=Hamersly |first=Lewis Randolph |title=The Records of Living Officers of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps |url=https://archive.org/details/recordslivingof00hamegoog |format=PDF |access-date=April 13, 2007 |edition=6th|year=1898 |publisher=L. R. Hamersly and co. |___location=New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/recordslivingof00hamegoog/page/n122 106]}}</ref> The war forced the school to relocate from [[Annapolis, Maryland]], threatened by the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]], to [[Newport, Rhode Island]]. In 1866, he graduated first in his class,<ref>{{cite news |title=Miscellaneous |work=The New York Times |page=6 |date=July 21, 1866}}</ref> going on to serve as a [[midshipman]] first on board {{USS|Franklin|1864|6}} and then {{USS|Frolic|1862|6}}. He spent three years serving on board ''Frolic'', eventually being promoted to ensign. His next assignment was on board {{USS|Lancaster|1858|6}}, where he was promoted to master in 1870 and then to lieutenant in 1871. From 1872 to 1875, he served on board {{USS|Pensacola|1859|6}} in the South Pacific. After ''Pensacola'', he served briefly on board {{USS|New Hampshire|1864|6}} and then spent two years serving on {{USS|Hartford|1858|6}}.<ref name="living-officers" />

As a young man, Tilley entered the [[United States Naval Academy]] during the [[American Civil War]] and was made a [[midshipman]] (officer cadet) in [[1863]], while he was only 15. During the conflict, the school had been moved from [[Annapolis, Maryland]] (then held by the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]]) to [[Newport, Rhode Island]].<ref name="midshipman">{{cite news |title = The Nabal Academy|work = New York Times |page = 8 |date = 1866-10-06}}</ref> He graduated first in his class in 1866, shortly after the war was over.<ref name="graduated">{{cite news |title = Miscellaneous |work = New York Times |page = 6 |date = 1866-07-21}}</ref> By 1875, he had been promoted to [[Lieutenant]].<ref name="lieutenant">{{cite news |title = Naval Affairs|work = New York Times |page = 1 |date = 1875-11-16}}</ref> During the [[Great railroad strike of 1877]], Tilley was serving as a lieutenant onboard the [[USS Plymouth (1867)|USS ''Plymouth'']] when his ship was dispatched to [[Alexandria, Virginia]] and elsewhere to quell the unrest there.<ref name="strike">{{cite journal | last = C.| first = H. C. | year = 1879| month = January | title = The Naval Brigade and the Marine Battalions in the Labor Strikes of 1877| journal = United Service| volume = 1| issue = 1| pages = 115-130}}</ref> By 1882, he was serving at the [[United States Naval Academy]], serving there on and off for the next three years.<ref name="usna-1">{{cite news |title = A Cloud at Annapolis|work = New York Times |page = 1 |date = 1882-06-22}}; {{cite news |title = Affairs at Annapolis|work = The Sun |page = 4 |date = 1885-09-03}}</ref> In 1885, he was made the head of the Department of Astronomy, Navigation, and Surveying.<ref name="a-n-and-s">{{cite news |title = Naval Academy Affairs|work = The Sun|page = Supplement 1 |date = 1885-09-29}}</ref> He was promoted to [[lieutenant commander]] by July 1888.<ref name="lieutenant-commander">{{cite news |title = Trying the Hazing Cadents|work = Washington Post|page =4 |date = 1888-07-14}}</ref> By 1889, he had been moved to be head of the Department of Mechanical Drawing, leaving that post in September to teach at the [[Washington, DC Naval Yard]].<ref name="mechanical-drawing">{{cite news |title = The Army and Navy|work = Washington Post|page =12 |date = 1889-09-22}}; {{cite news |title = The Army and NavyArmy and Navy News|work = New York Times|page =16 |date = 1889-12-29}}</ref> [[Image:USS San Francisco (C-5).jpg|left|thumb|USS ''San Francisco'' in the 1890s]]In 1890, he was transferred to [[San Francisco, California]] to assist in the testing of the [[USS San Francisco (C-5)|USS ''San Francisco'']] and to become her [[executive officer]].<ref name="san-francisco">{{cite news |title = Nineteen Knots and Over|work = New York Times|page =1 |date = 1890-08-28}}</ref> During the [[Chilean Civil War]], the ''San Francisco'' transported troops to [[Santiago, Chile]] to aid in the protection of the [[consulate]] there. After the capture of the city by the insurgents, Tilley and a force of 100 men remained stationed at the consulate to defend it.<ref name="santiago">{{cite news |title = Santiago Capitulates|work = Chicago Daily Tribune|page =1 |date = 1891-08-30}}</ref> He was transferred back to the Naval Academy to serve again as her head of Astronomy and Navigation Department in 1893.<ref name="usna-again">{{cite news |title = Notes from Annapolis|work = New York Times|page =16 |date = 1893-08-27}}</ref> While serving at the Academy, he was put in charge of the [[USS Bancroft (1892)|USS ''Bancroft'']] in 1896 and sailed on an inspection tour of naval yards along the east coast of the United States.<ref name="bancroft">{{cite news |title = News from the Naval Academy|work = New York Times|page =21 |date = 1896-06-07}}</ref> That October, he was promoted to [[commander]].<ref name="commander">{{cite news |title = The United Service|work = New York Times|page =3 |date = 1896-10-21}}</ref>

===Railroad strike of 1877===

The following year, Tilley was given command of the [[USS Newport (PG-12)|USS ''Newport'']] to sail to [[Nicaragua]] to evaluate progress of the [[Panama Canal|canal commission]]. He remained on the ''Newport'' through the [[Spanish-American War]]. In August 1898, he successfully captured the [[Spanish Navy]]'s [[SPS Paquete|SPS ''Paquete'']] and [[SPS Pireno|SPS ''Pireno'']].<ref name="spanish-american-war">{{cite news |title = The Panama's Valuation|work = Los Angeles Times|page =3 |date = 1898-04-27}}</ref> After the conclusion of the war, he was transferred to the [[Newport Naval Yard]].<ref name="newport-naval">{{cite news |title = Naval Orders|work = Washington Post|page =4 |date = 1898-10-25}}</ref>

In July 1877, a violent [[Great Railroad Strike of 1877|railroad strike]] began in [[Martinsburg, West Virginia]], sparking riots in other American cities such as [[Pittsburgh]] and [[Philadelphia]], and President [[Rutherford B. Hayes]] authorized the use of the military in response. Tilley was temporarily transferred to {{USS|Plymouth|1867|6}} during the crisis, sailing up the [[Potomac River]] to Washington, D.C. Military leaders feared that rioters from [[Baltimore]] could travel to Washington to seize or damage vulnerable government targets. The troops defending Washington included the army, navy, and marines organized into a battalion of seven companies (Naval Brigade) under the command of Captain [[Edward Gabriel André Barrett|Edward Barrett]]; Tilley was placed in command of Company C. The precautions proved to be unnecessary, as the expected wave of rioters never materialized following the military's suppression of the strikers in Baltimore; the riots were also quashed in other cities within a short time.<ref>{{cite journal|last=C.|first=H. C. |date=January 1879 |title=The Naval Brigade and the Marine Battalions in the Labor Strikes of 1877|journal=United Service|volume=1|issue=1|pages=115–130}}</ref>

{{Infobox

==Commandant of Tutuila Naval Station==

|name =

The United States first expressed quasi-official interest in building a [[Naval Station]] at [[Pago Pago, American Samoa|Pago Pago, Samoa]] in [[1872]] at the behest of [[Henry A. Peirce]], the [[United States Minister to Hawaii]]. However, this treaty neither was ratified by the [[United States Senate]] nor did the local government of [[Tutuila]] have authority to negotiate it.<ref name="Amerika Samoa-58">{{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=58 }}</ref> American involvement in the island would continue off and on until [[February 13]] [[1878]] when the Senate ratified a treaty with a Samoan delegation to Washington that gave the country diplomatic recognition and gave the United States Navy permission to build a Naval Station there. On [[August 5]] [[1878]], the United States flag was raised over an island in Pago Pago harbor for the first time.<ref name="Amerika Samoa-64">{{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=64-66}}</ref> The United States first built a coal depot outside of [[Fagatogo, American Samoa|Fagatogo]], but construction of the naval station would not begin until 1898. Early the following year, Captain Tilley of the [[USS Abarenda (AC-13)|USS ''Abarenda'']] was dispatched from [[Norfolk, Virginia]] with a load of [[steel]] and [[coal]] to Pago Pago to oversee the construction. He arrived and took his new post on [[August 13]] [[1899]].<ref name="Amerika Samoa-105">{{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=105-108}}</ref>

|title = Navy career

|image =

|caption =

|headerstyle = background:#ccf;

|labelstyle = background:#ddf;

|header1 = Midshipman – 1867

|label2 = 1867–1868

|data2 = {{USS|Franklin|1864|6}}

|label3 = 1868–1869

|data3 = {{USS|Frolic|1862|6}}

|header4 = Ensign – 1868

|label5 = 1869–1872

|data5 = {{USS|Lancaster|1858|6}}

|header6 = Master – 1870

|header7 = Lieutenant – 1871

|label8 = 1873–1875

|data8 = {{USS|Pensacola|1859|6}}

|label9= 1875

|data9 = {{USS|New Hampshire|1864|6}}

|label10 = 1875–1877

|data10 = {{USS|Hartford|1858|6}}

|label11 = 1877

|data11 = {{USS|Plymouth|1867|6}}

|label12 = 1877–1878

|data12 = {{USS|Powhatan|1850|6}}

|label13 = 1879–1881

|data13 = [[United States Naval Academy]]

|label14 = 1881

|data14 = {{USS|Standish|1864|6}}

|label15 = 1882

|data15 = United States Naval Academy

|label16 = 1882–1885

|data16 = {{USS|Tennessee|1865|6}}

|label17 = 1885–1889

|data17 = United States Naval Academy

|header18 = Lieutenant Commander – September 1887

|label19 = 1889–1890

|data19 = [[Washington Navy Yard]]

|label20 = 1890–1893

|data20 = {{USS|San Francisco|C-5|6}}

|label21 = 1893–1897

|data21 = United States Naval Academy

|label22 = 1896

|data22 = '''{{USS|Bancroft|1892|6}}'''

|header23 = Commander – September 1896

|label24 = 1897

|data24 = [[Naval War College]]

|label25 = 1897–1898

|data25 = '''{{USS|Newport|PG-12|6}}'''

|label26 = 1898

|data26 = [[Naval Station Newport]]

|label27 = 1898–1899

|data27 = '''{{USS|Vicksburg|PG-11|6}}'''

|label28 = 1899–1901

|data28 = '''{{USS|Abarenda|AC-13|6}}'''<br />'''[[United States Naval Station Tutuila|U.S. Naval Station Tutuila]]'''

|header29 = Captain – October 1901

|label30 = 1902–1905

|data30 = [[Mare Island Naval Shipyard]]

|label31 = 1905–1907

|data31 = '''{{USS|Iowa|BB-4|6}}'''

|label32 = 1907

|data32 = '''[[Philadelphia Naval Shipyard]]'''

|header33 = Rear Admiral – February 24, 1907

|belowstyle = background:#ddf;

|below =

}}

After the strike, Tilley was transferred to the [[flagship]] {{USS|Powhatan|1850|6}} before requesting to take a six-month leave so that he could marry. On June 6, 1878, he married Emily Edelin Williamson, the daughter of a Navy surgeon, and left with her on an extended honeymoon in Europe.<ref>{{cite news|title=Society Weddings|newspaper=The Washington Post|page=4 |date=June 6, 1878}}</ref> On his return to duty, Tilley served at the [[United States Naval Academy]] and remained there until 1882, either in a classroom or on a training ship. For the next three years, he served on board {{USS|Tennessee|1865|6}}.<ref name="living-officers" /> In 1885, he was promoted to lieutenant commander and returned to teach at the academy. During his tenure there, he was appointed head of the Department of Astronomy, Navigation, and Surveying, and then transferred to become head of the Department of Mechanical Drawing. In September 1889, he moved to the [[Washington Navy Yard]] to teach ordnance.<ref>{{cite news|title=Naval Academy Affairs |work=The Sun |page=Supplement 1 |date=September 29, 1885}}; {{cite news |title=The Army and Navy|newspaper=The Washington Post|page=12 |date=September 22, 1889}}; {{cite news |title=The Army and Navy News|work=The New York Times|page=16 |date=December 29, 1889}}</ref>

Following the [[Second Samoan Civil War]], there was a complicated political situation in the region between the [[United States]], the [[United Kingdom]], and [[Germany]] with each having interests. On [[June 10]] [[1899]], the [[Treaty of Berlin, 1899|Treaty of Berlin]] was signed which partitioned Samoa, giving the western part, especially Tutuila, to the United States, while the Germans took over the eastern part. (The British relinquished claims over the region in favor of other concessions from Germany.) News of this arrangement did not reach Tilley and the islands until [[December 6]] [[1899]]. Although the United States had taken control over the islands, it was not clear how this control would be asserted. Tilley notified the local chiefs of the treaty but construction remained the most pressing issue and he was forced to leave the island for two months to pick up supplies and coal at [[Auckland, New Zealand]].<ref name="Amerika Samoa-105">{{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=105-108}}</ref> Captain Tilley returned from New Zealand in February 1900. On [[February 19]] [[1900]], [[United States President|President]] [[William McKinley]] formally placed the islands under the direct control of the United States Navy. Assistant [[Secretary of the Navy]] [[Charles H. Allen]] named Tilley [[commandant]] of [[Naval Station, Tutuila]] with a charter to "cultivate friendly relations with the natives".<ref name="Amerika Samoa-105">{{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=105-108}}</ref>

===Chilean Civil War===

==Acting-Governor of Tutuila==

[[File:USS San Francisco (C-5).jpg|left|thumb|USS ''San Francisco'' in the 1890s]]

[[Image:Aq-map.png|thumb|260px|right|Map of American Samoa]]Tilley's first task in his new role was to negotiate a Deed of Cession with the local powers, to formally and peacefully transfer control to the United States. On Tutuila in 1900, there were two minor government, historically subordinated to [[Upolu]], then recently part of [[German Samoa]]. Both of these governments were favorable to the cession. The inhabitants of [[Manu'a]], 70&nbsp;miles to the east, were politically a separate nation from Tutuila and had not been a party to the conflict. On [[March 12]] [[1900]], Tilley traveled to [[Tau, American Samoa|Tau]] to meet with the local king, [[Tui Manua Elisala]]. Ultimately, the king agreed to some sovereignty of the United States, but refused to consider cession. Despite this setback, the Deed of Cession was signed on [[April 17]] [[1900]], listing Manu'a as a territory despite the lack of a signatory. In the Deed, Tilley was named as Acting-Governor, though the title of Governor would not be official in the territory until it was given to Governor [[Edmund Beardsley Underwood]] in [[1905]].<ref name="Amerika Samoa-158">{{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=158}}</ref> (Manu'a would not formally sign until 1904, under some duress.)

In 1890, Tilley was transferred to [[San Francisco]] to help test the newly built {{USS|San Francisco|C-5|6}} and to become her executive officer.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1890/08/28/archives/nineteen-knots-and-over-the-cruiser-san-francisco-exceeds-her.html |title=Nineteen Knots and Over |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |page=1 |date=August 28, 1890 |url-access=subscription |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->}}</ref> ''San Francisco'' transported troops to the port of [[Valparaíso]] during the [[1891 Chilean Civil War]], from which they could move on to protect the American consulate in the capital of [[Santiago]]. Insurgents captured the city, and Tilley remained to defend the consulate with a force of 100 men.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1891/08/30/page/1/article/santiago-gapitulates |title=Santiago Capitulates |newspaper=[[Chicago Daily Tribune]] |page=1 |date=August 30, 1891 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->}}</ref> After the war, he returned to the naval academy as head of the astronomy and navigation department.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1893/08/27/archives/notes-from-annapolis-many-officers-on-vacations-academy.html |title=Notes from Annapolis |newspaper=The New York Times |page=16 |date=August 27, 1893 |url-access=subscription |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->}}</ref> In 1896, he took command of {{USS|Bancroft|1892|6}} and sailed on an inspection tour of naval yards along the east coast of the United States.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1896/06/07/archives/news-from-the-naval-academy-secretary-herbert-goes-to-washingtonage.html |title=News from the Naval Academy |newspaper=The New York Times |page=21 |date=June 7, 1896 |url-access=subscription |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->}}</ref> He was promoted to [[commander]] that October.<ref>{{cite news |title=The United Service|work=The New York Times|page=3 |date=October 21, 1896}}</ref> In 1897, he was given command of {{USS|Newport|PG-12|6}} to sail to [[Nicaragua]] to evaluate the progress of the [[Nicaragua Canal|isthmus canal commission]].

As "Acting-Governor", Tilley's first acts were to impose a [[Duty (economics)|duty]] on imports to the territory, ban the sale of [[alcohol]] to the local population (but not Americans), and forbid the sale of Samoan lands to non-Samoans. On [[May 1]] [[1900]], he proclaimed that the laws of the United States were now in force in the territory, but that any Samoan law not in conflict with the US laws would remain in effect. He also partitioned the territory into three districts, along the lines of the three territories implicitly acknowledged in the Deed of Cession, despite that Manu'a did not yet consider themselves part of the territory. In addition, he regulated firearms, made mandatory registration of births, deaths, and marriages, assessed taxes, and made the [[sabbath]] a public holiday. For defense and police, Tilley also created a small local [[militia]] of Samoans which were trained at the naval station by a Sergeant of the [[United States Marine Corps]].<ref name="Amerika Samoa-125">{{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=125-128}}</ref>

===Spanish–American War===

During his administration, problems with the legal and political systems of the islands began to become apparent. There were issues of conflicting Samoan and American laws. In one case, a native had caught a [[skipjack]], under Samoan law a sacred fish which can only be eaten with prior permission of a local chief. By traditional punishment, his house was burned down, his crops uprooted, and he was to be exiled from the territory. Under the American system however, the native challenged this punishment, resulting in the arrest of the chief involved for destruction of his property. In a criminal proceeding on which Tilley sat as a judge, the chief was sentenced to a year "house arrest" and ordered to pay compensation for destroyed property. There were also issues overlaying United States political structures on Samoan ones. For example, although the three district governors in the territory were to have equal authority, they were of differing Samoan social status. This made decision-making more difficult and caused social tensions.<ref name="Amerika Samoa-132">{{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=132-134}}</ref> Despite some small problems, Tilley was well-considered by the locals. On [[December 18]] [[1900]], the local chiefs sent a letter of congratulations on the re-election of President McKinley. In this letter, they referred to Tilley by saying "...you gave us a leader, a Governor, a High Chief, whom we have learned to love and respect."<ref name="Amerika Samoa-127">{{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=127}}</ref>

[[File:Benjamin Franklin Tilley (1890s) - NH 43893.jpg|thumb|left|Tilley in the 1890s]]

On April 23, 1898, [[Spanish–American War|Spain declared war]] on the United States in response to American efforts to support Cuban independence. Tilley was in the Caribbean in command of ''Newport'' and in the heart of the conflict area. The United States responded with its own declaration of war against Spain on April 25, and Tilley captured the Spanish Navy's [[Sloop-of-war|sloop]] ''Paquete'' and [[schooner]] ''Pireno'' two days later.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/163831688 |title=The Panama's Valuation |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |page=3 |date=April 27, 1898 |url-access=subscription |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |access-date=July 5, 2017 |archive-date=April 10, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410153752/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/doc/163831688.html |url-status=live |id={{ProQuest|163831688}}}}</ref> He participated in the [[blockade|naval blockade]] of [[Santiago de Cuba]] but missed the subsequent [[Battle of Santiago de Cuba]], as ''Newport'' was refueling at [[Guantánamo Bay]] when fighting broke out. Toward the end of the war, he was responsible for shelling the Cuban port of [[Manzanillo, Cuba|Manzanillo]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Historical Dictionary of the Spanish–American War |last=Dyal |first=Donald H. |year=1996 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=0-313-28852-6 |pages=238–239 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CWaCEfeuQXkC}}</ref> He and ''Newport'' assisted in the capture of nine Spanish vessels, and he was transferred to the [[Newport Naval Yard]] at the conclusion of the war,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/143921018 |title=Naval Orders |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |page=4 |date=October 25, 1898 |url-access=subscription |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |access-date=July 5, 2017 |archive-date=October 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005033031/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/doc/143921018.html |url-status=live |id={{ProQuest|143921018}}}}</ref> then given the command of {{USS|Vicksburg|PG-11|6}} in October.<ref>{{cite news|title=The United Service |work=The New York Times |page=4 |date=October 21, 1898}}</ref>

Tilley took leave in June 1901, to return to Washington and then to his family, leaving E. J. Dorn in command. (Dorn subsequently had medical issues and was replaced by J. L. Jayne in October.) In October 1901, an anonymous complaint was made to Assistant [[Secretary of the Navy]] [[Frank W. Hackett]] against Commandant Tilley, alleging immorality and [[drunkenness]].<ref name="Amerika Samoa-137">{{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=137-139}}</ref> Also in October, Tilley was formally promoted to [[Captain]] by [[United States President|President]] [[Theodore Roosevelt]].<ref name="captain">{{cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |author= |coauthors= |title=To Be Captain in the Navy |url= |format= |work= |publisher=New York Times |id= |pages= |page=6 |date=10-08-1901 |accessdate= |language= |quote= }}</ref> On [[November 9]] [[1901]], two days after returning from leave and with his wife visiting from the United States, Tilley was given a [[court martial]] on these charges. The trial lasted four days and only one witness was called for the prosecution. Ultimately, Tilley was acquitted of the charge. Despite his acquittal, Captain [[Uriel Sebree]] was appointed Commandant on [[November 27]] [[1901]].<ref name="sebree" /> Tilley and his wife returned to the United States in December.<ref name="Amerika Samoa-137" />

==Commandant of U.S. Naval Station Tutuila==

His successor, Capt Sebree, said he had "great ability, kindness, tact and sound common sense".<ref name="sebree">{{cite journal |title = Progress in American Samoa |journal = The Independent |pages = 2811-2822 |date = 1902-11-27|last=Sebree | first=Uriel | authorlink = Uriel Sebree |issue=2817 | volume=54}}</ref> Unlike Sebree, who was concerned that he did not have a legal mandate to govern, Tilley was not shy about enacting legislation and being the ''de facto'' leader of the the territory. Although the Deed of Cession recognized his authority and gave him the title of Acting Governor, the United States government had not. (He was officially responsible only for the naval station.)<ref name="Amerika Samoa-150">{{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=150-151}}</ref> As the first such governor, Tilley laid the groundwork for much of the future governance of the territory. (The territory itself would not even have a formal name until 1911 when it was officially made "American Samoa".) Although he was not officially Governor, the American Samoa territorial government includes him in its list of governors.<ref name="governors-gallery">{{cite web |url=http://www.asg-gov.net/GOVERNORSGALLERY_pics011.htm |title=Governor's Gallery |accessdate=03-10-2007 |year=2004 }}</ref>

The United States first expressed interest in building a [[naval station]] at [[Pago Pago, American Samoa|Pago Pago, Samoa]] in 1872 at the behest of [[Henry A. Peirce]], the [[United States Minister to Hawaii]]. A treaty to that effect was written and submitted, but it was not approved by the [[United States Senate]].{{sfn|Gray|1960|p=58}} On February 13, 1878, a separate treaty was ratified by the Senate that granted the Samoan government diplomatic recognition and reaffirmed permission to build a naval station in the country.{{sfn|Gray|1960|pp=64–66}} There were no further political obstacles, but funding for the station was not allocated and only a small coaling station was built on the island. Construction of the naval station did not begin until 1898, led by civilian contractors. In early 1899, Tilley was assigned the task of overseeing the station construction and becoming its first commandant. He was also put in command of the [[collier (ship)|collier ship]] {{USS|Abarenda|AC-13|6}} to transport steel and coal to the construction site and to serve as the first station ship. After a long voyage, he took his new post on August 13, 1899.{{sfn|Gray|1960|pp=105–108}}

Even before Tilley arrived in Samoa, the political situation there was shifting. The [[Second Samoan Civil War]] had recently ended, leaving the islands without a functioning central government. The United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany had competing strategic and economic interests in the region. Ratification of the [[Tripartite Convention]] on February 16, 1900, partitioned the Samoan archipelago. The eastern part, with Tutuila as its largest island, was placed under the control of the United States. The larger and historically dominant western part was assigned to Germany. Under this treaty, the British government relinquished its claims over Samoa in exchange for certain concessions from Germany in the Pacific and Africa.

==League Island Naval Yard==

After leaving Samoa, Tilley was made captain of the [[Mare Island Naval Shipyard]] in [[Vallejo, California]] in March 1902.<ref name="mareisland">{{cite news |title = Assignment for Funston |work = Washington Post |page = 9 |date = 1902-03-18}}</ref> He remained in this post for three years before being assigned to the [[USS Iowa|USS ''Iowa'']] on [[January 11]] [[1905]].<ref name="iowa">{{cite news |title = The United Service|work = New York Times |page = 5 |date = 1905-01-15}}</ref> Two years later, Tilly was made commandant of [[Philadelphia Naval Shipyard|League Island Naval Yard]] in [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]] on [[February 23]] [[1907]]. He was promoted to [[Rear Admiral]] the following day. Less than a month later, on [[March 18]] [[1907]], Tilley died of [[pneumonia]].<ref name="death">{{cite news |title = Death of Admiral Tilley|work = Washington Post |page = 3 |date = 1907-03-19}}</ref> On [[December 29]] [[1907]], Tilley was one of 322 men and women listed by the ''[[Washington Post]]'' as "foremost in their various callings" that had died in 1907.<ref name="firemost">{{cite news |title = The Silent Reaper's Harvest of the Great |work = Washington Post |page = MS8 |date = 1907-12-29}}</ref>

After learning of the agreement, Tilley notified the local chiefs and asserted nominal United States control, but a formal decision had not yet been made on how the United States government would manage the territory. The construction of the naval base remained his primary responsibility, and he was dispatched to pick up additional supplies and coal at [[Auckland]], New Zealand.{{sfn|Gray|1960|pp=105–108}} President [[William McKinley]] placed the territory under the control of the United States Navy on February 19, 1900, and Assistant [[Secretary of the Navy]] [[Charles H. Allen]] named Tilley commandant of [[United States Naval Station Tutuila]] with a charter to "cultivate friendly relations with the natives".{{sfn|Gray|1960|pp=105–108}}

{{start box}}

{{succession box|title=[[Governor of American Samoa]]|before=None|after=[[Uriel Sebree]]|years=1900-1901<br /><small>''Commandant / Acting-Governor''</small>}}

==Acting governor of Tutuila==

{{end box}}

[[File:Aq-map.png|thumb|260px|right|Map of American Samoa. Swains Island was not added to the territory until 1925.]]

{{ASGovernors}}

Tilley's first task in his new role was to negotiate a deed of cession with the local powers to ensure a formal and peaceful transfer of control to the United States. With the partitioning of Samoa, two regional governments remained on Tutuila which had been subordinated to a government on the western, German-controlled island of Upolu. Both of these governments were favorable toward the cession. The inhabitants of the island of [[Tau, American Samoa|Ta{{okina}}u]] and the volcanic doublet of [[Ofu-Olosega]] (together known as [[Manu'a]]) {{convert|70|mi|km}} to the east were politically separate from Tutuila. On March 12, 1900, Tilley traveled to Ta{{okina}}u to meet with the local king [[Tui Manuʻa Elisala]]. Ultimately, the king agreed to cede some sovereignty to the United States, but refused to consider full cession. The deed of cession was signed on April 17, 1900, and listed Manu'a as part of the United States' new territory, but without the signature of its representative. In it, Tilley was named Acting Governor; the territory did not have an official governor until the title was given to Governor [[Edmund Beardsley Underwood]] in 1905. Manu'a did not agree to sign the deed until 1904, after negotiating concessions from the United States.{{sfn|Gray|1960|pp=157–158}}

Tilley's first acts were to impose a [[Duty (economics)|duty]] on imports to the territory, ban the sale of alcohol to the local population (but not Americans), and forbid the sale of Samoan lands to non-Samoans. On May 1, 1900, he proclaimed that the laws of the United States were in force in the territory, but that Samoan laws that did not conflict with U.S. law would remain in effect. He partitioned the territory into three districts, along the historical divisions implicitly acknowledged in the deed of cession: the two governments on Tutuila and the third comprising the islands of Manu'a, which still did not regard themselves as part of the territory. Over the next year, Tilley regulated firearms, enforced mandatory registrations of births, deaths, and marriages, levied taxes, and made the sabbath a public holiday. He created a small [[militia]] of native Samoans called the Fita Fita Guard for defense and police. The native volunteers in this force were trained at the naval station by a sergeant of the [[United States Marine Corps]].{{sfn|Gray|1960|pp=125–128}}

Problems arose during Tilley's administration because of conflicting Samoan and American laws. In one case, a native had caught and eaten a [[Skipjack tuna|skipjack]], a sacred fish which could only be eaten with the permission of a local chief under Samoan law. Traditional punishment decreed that the offender's house should be burned down and his crops uprooted, and he should be exiled from the territory. The native challenged his punishment under the American legal system, however, resulting in the arrest of the chief responsible for ordering the destruction of his property. The chief was sentenced to a year of [[house arrest]] in a criminal proceeding, on which Tilley sat as judge, and he was ordered to pay compensation for the destroyed property. There were similar issues with Samoan customs not blending well with the newly introduced American political divisions in the territory. For example, the territory's three district governors had equal authority but they were of differing Samoan social status. This disparity made decision-making more difficult and caused social tensions.{{sfn|Gray|1960|pp=132–134}} Despite these problems, Tilley was well-considered by the locals. On December 18, 1900, the local chiefs sent a letter of congratulations on the re-election of President McKinley in which they said of Tilley, "you gave us a leader, a Governor, a High Chief, whom we have learned to love and respect".{{sfn|Gray|1960|p=127}}

Tilley took leave in June 1901 to return to Washington, leaving [[E. J. Dorn]] in command. Dorn subsequently had medical issues and was replaced by [[J. L. Jayne]] in October. That month, an anonymous complaint was made to Assistant [[Secretary of the Navy]] [[Frank W. Hackett]] against Commandant Tilley, alleging immorality and [[drunkenness]].{{sfn|Gray|1960|pp=137–139}} Almost simultaneously, he was promoted to [[Captain (naval)|captain]] by President [[Theodore Roosevelt]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1901/10/08/archives/to-be-captain-in-the-navy.html |title=To Be Captain in the Navy |newspaper=The New York Times |page=6 |date=October 8, 1901 |url-access=subscription |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->}}</ref> Tilley returned to Samoa on November 7, 1901, with his wife, and two days later was given a [[court martial]]. The trial lasted four days and only one witness was called for the prosecution. Ultimately, he was acquitted. Despite this, Captain [[Uriel Sebree]] was appointed as commandant on November 27, 1901.<ref name="sebree" /> Tilley and his wife returned to the United States the following month.{{sfn|Gray|1960|pp=137–139}}

Sebree later remarked of his predecessor that he had "great ability, kindness, tact and sound common sense".<ref name="sebree">{{cite journal |title=Progress in American Samoa |journal=The Independent |pages=2811–2822 |date=November 27, 1902|last=Sebree |first=Uriel |author-link=Uriel Sebree |issue=2817 |volume=54}}</ref> Unlike Sebree, who was concerned that he did not have a legal mandate to govern, Tilley was not shy about enacting legislation and being the ''de facto'' leader of the territory. Although the deed of cession recognized his authority and gave him the title of Acting Governor, as far as the United States government was concerned, he was officially responsible only for the naval station.{{sfn|Gray|1960|pp=150–151}} As the first naval governor, Tilley laid the groundwork for much of the future governance of the territory, which did not yet even have a formal name. The American Samoa government includes Tilley and the other pre-1905 station commandants in its list of territorial governors.<ref name="governors-gallery" />

==Later career and death==

Tilley's next assignment came in March 1902 as a captain of the [[Mare Island Naval Shipyard]] in [[Vallejo, California]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/144372581 |title=Assignment for Funston |newspaper=The Washington Post |page=9 |date=March 18, 1902 |url-access=subscription |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |access-date=July 5, 2017 |archive-date=October 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005043908/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/doc/144372581.html |url-status=live |id={{ProQuest|144372581}}}}</ref> He remained in this post for three years before being assigned to {{USS|Iowa|BB-4|6}} on January 11, 1905.<ref>{{cite news|title=The United Service|work=The New York Times |page=5 |date=January 15, 1905}}</ref> On February 23, 1907, he was made commandant of [[Philadelphia Naval Shipyard|League Island Naval Yard]] in [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], and he was promoted to [[Rear admiral (United States)|rear admiral]] the following day. He died of pneumonia less than a month later on March 18, 1907.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/144781802 |title=Death of Admiral Tilley |newspaper=The Washington Post |page=3 |date=March 19, 1907 |url-access=subscription |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |access-date=July 5, 2017 |archive-date=April 10, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410180414/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/doc/144781802.html |url-status=live |id={{ProQuest|144781802}}}}</ref>

Tilley was one of 322 men and women who had died in 1907 listed by ''[[The Washington Post]]'' as "foremost in their various callings."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/144772984 |title=The Silent Reaper's Harvest of the Great |newspaper=The Washington Post |page=MS8 |date=December 29, 1907 |url-access=subscription |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |access-date=July 5, 2017 |archive-date=October 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005033034/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/doc/144772984.html |url-status=live |id={{ProQuest|144772984}}}}</ref> He was survived by one son and two daughters. His son Benjamin Franklin Tilley Jr. also entered the Navy and retired with the rank of lieutenant commander.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/150196686 |title=Mrs. Emily Tilley Dies at Annapolis |newspaper=The Washington Post |page=20 |date=April 22, 1931 |url-access=subscription |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |id={{ProQuest|150196686}}}}</ref>

== See also ==

* {{Portal inline|Biography}}

==Notes==

{{Reflist}}

==References==

* {{Cite book |last=Gray |first=J. A. C. |year=1960 |title=Amerika Samoa: History of American Samoa and Its United States Naval Administration |url=https://archive.org/details/amerikasamoahist0000gray |url-access=registration |___location=Annapolis, Maryland |publisher=United States Naval Institute |lccn=60-12080 |oclc=498821}}

<div class="references-small"><references/></div>

==External links==

* Tilley's [https://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/man-findingaids/MS_137.EAD.xml ''Log of U.S. Steamer Standish'', 1881, MS 137] held by Special Collections & Archives, Nimitz Library at the United States Naval Academy

{{S-start}}

{{S-mil}}

{{S-new|first}}

{{S-ttl|title=[[Naval Governor of American Samoa]]

|years=February 17, 1900 – November 27, 1901|as=Commandant / Acting-Governor}}

{{S-aft|after=[[Uriel Sebree]]}}

{{End}}

{{Governors of American Samoa}}

[[Category{{DEFAULTSORT:Governors of American Samoa|Tilley, Benjamin Franklin]]}}

[[Category:United1848 States Navy admirals|Tilley, Benjamin Franklinbirths]]

[[Category:18481907 births|Tilley, Benjamin Franklindeaths]]

[[Category:1907American deaths|Tilley,military Benjaminpersonnel Franklinof the Spanish–American War]]

[[Category:Governors of American Samoa]]

[[Category:United States Navy admirals]]

[[Category:People from Bristol County, Rhode Island]]

[[Category:Deaths from pneumonia in Pennsylvania]]