Carlton Skinner (April 8, 1913 – June 22, 2004) was the first civilian governor of

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

and a prominent advocate for the integration of the

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Harry Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

appointed Skinner governor in 1949, after the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

ceded control of the island to the

Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal lands and natural resources. It also administers programs relatin ...

Life and education

Skinner was born in

Palo Alto, California Palo Alto ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for ) is a charter city in northwestern Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. Th ...

, to parents Macy Millmore Skinner (1871–1964) and Marian Weymouth Junkins (1880–1966). He attended

Tilton School Tilton School is an independent, coeducational, college-preparatory school in Tilton, New Hampshire, Tilton, New Hampshire, serving students from 9th to 12th grade and postgraduate year, postgraduate students. Founded in 1845, Tilton's student b ...

, an independent college preparatory school in

Tilton, New Hampshire Tilton is a New England town, town on the Winnipesaukee River in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,962 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 3,567 at the 2010 census. It includes the village of Til ...

. He graduated from Tilton in 1930. Skinner then attended

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the Methodi ...

, where he was a member of the fraternity that later became a chapter of

Kappa Alpha Society The Kappa Alpha Society () is a North American social college fraternity. Founded in 1825, it was the progenitor of the modern fraternity system in North America. It is considered to be the oldest national, secret, Greek-letter social fraterni ...

and transferred from there to the

University of California at Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the Ca ...

. Prior to

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he was a correspondent for

United Press International United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ce ...

and ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

''. From 1947 to 1949, he served as Public Relations Director and then as a special assistant to the

United States Secretary of the Interior The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natura ...

Military service

As a

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a Maritime Security Regimes, maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with cust ...

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

, Skinner commanded the USCGC ''Sea Cloud'', a

weather ship A weather ship, or ocean station vessel, was a ship stationed in the ocean for surface and upper air meteorological observations for use in weather forecasting. They were primarily located in the north Atlantic and north Pacific oceans, report ...

. When the United States entered

, the Coast Guard was integrated into the Navy, and the ''Sea Cloud'' was sent out on combat service. Leaving

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, the ''Sea Cloud'' participated in sinking one submarine. Earlier, while serving as

executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer ...

of the USCGC ''Northland'', Skinner began to question the Armed Forces policy of ship segregation. The ''Northland'', stranded during a patrol with no engine, was saved when a black steward crewman got the engine started after white engineers had been unable to do so. When Skinner recommended the man for promotion, he was told that blacks were allowed to be only steward's mates. Seeking to prove a point, Skinner sailed with the Navy's first fully-integrated crew since the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, with duties spread equally among white and black crewmen. Nationally-renowned black artist

Jacob Lawrence Jacob Armstead Lawrence (September 7, 1917 – June 9, 2000) was an American painter known for his portrayal of African-American historical subjects and contemporary life. Lawrence referred to his style as "dynamic cubism", an art form populariz ...

, whose paintings were already in the collections of New York's Museum of Modern Art and the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., was among the men who served on the ''Sea Cloud'' under Lieutenant Skinner. After the ''Sea Cloud'', Skinner commanded a second integrated crew aboard the near the

Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands ( ; ; , "land of the Aleuts"; possibly from the Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', or "island")—also called the Aleut Islands, Aleutic Islands, or, before Alaska Purchase, 1867, the Catherine Archipelago—are a chain ...

. Noting the success of Skinner's two commands, the Navy integrated the and dropped ship segregation completely within the next few decades. Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Vincent W. Patton III said of Skinner, "I will say without question that he was the front guard of integrating the U.S. military forces in World War II, and the man got very little credit for it."

Governorship

When the Department of the Interior began to oversee Guam, Skinner was a Public Relations Officer for the Department. After the Department selected him and the Department of the Navy ceded control, Truman appointed Carlton Skinner governor of Guam on September 17, 1949. As governor, Skinner established Guam's first teacher's college which later evolved into a university as the

University of Guam University of Guam () (U.O.G.) is a public university, public land-grant university in Mangilao, Guam. It is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and offers thirty-four degree programs at the undergraduate level and ele ...

. He also wrote the Constitution of Guam, which is still in use today.

Post-governorship

After leaving the governor's post in 1953, Skinner lived in various locations around the world, serving as

chief financial officer A chief financial officer (CFO) is an officer of a company or organization who is assigned the primary responsibility for making decisions for the company for projects and its finances; i.a.: financial planning, management of financial risks, ...

for American President Lines, Colt Industries, and

Fairbanks-Morse Fairbanks, Morse and Company was an American manufacturing company in the late 19th and early 20th century. Founded in 1823 as a manufacturer of weighing scale, weighing scales, it later diversified into pumps, engines, windmills, coffee grinder ...

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

and

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

appointed Skinner to two consecutive terms on the South Pacific Commission. He eventually became a

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

businessman and owner of Skinner & Co., a financial consulting firm.

Death

Skinner died of heart failure on June 22, 2004, in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, at the age of 91.

Legacy

A plaza in Agana is named in Skinner's honor. A Coast Guard Fast Response Cutter (FRC) Maintenance Team Building at Naval Base Guam is also named in his honor.

Tilton School

Skinner and his wife, Solange P. Skinner, had a deep relationship with his alma mater,

. They often visited the campus, gave advice to the administration concerning the school's climate, and were major donors to the school. They created The Governor Carlton Skinner and Solange Skinner Fellowship at Tilton School, to “provide financial assistance to a student or students who exhibit a consistent sense of personal integrity, loyalty, and curiosity and who have demonstrated a commitment to fight injustice in all its forms.” Skinner was awarded the George L. Plimpton Award from Tilton in 1989 for his "passion for equality and freedom".

named part of their new academic building Skinner Tower, a 2-story glass tower which connects Plimpton Hall to the new academic building. In addition, The Governor Carlton Skinner Prize is "awarded annually to a member of the graduating class who, in the opinion of the Student Assembly and the Head of School, has consistently demonstrated a sense of personal integrity, loyalty, curiosity, and who has demonstrated a commitment to fight injustice in all its forms."

References

External links

Carlton Skinner Bio
at Guampedia, Guam's Online Encyclopedia {{DEFAULTSORT:Skinner, Carlton 1913 births 2004 deaths American chief financial officers American public relations people California Democrats Guamanian Democrats Governors of Guam United States Coast Guard officers United States Coast Guard personnel of World War II Wesleyan University alumni Businesspeople from California 20th-century American businesspeople Military personnel from Palo Alto, California Tilton School alumni