David Dean O'Keefe (1824 or 1828 – 1901) was an

Irish-American Irish Americans () are Irish ethnics who live within in the United States, whether immigrants from Ireland or Americans with full or partial Irish ancestry. Irish immigration to the United States From the 17th century to the mid-19th c ...

ship captain who became a historical and political figure on the Western Pacific island of

Yap Yap (, sometimes written as , or ) traditionally refers to an island group located in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, a part of Yap State. The name "Yap" in recent years has come to also refer to the state within the Federate ...

. O'Keefe emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1848 and established himself in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

. In 1871 he captained a ship to the Western Pacific. After landing on Yap he became powerful by using tools from

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

and East Asia to more easily create

Rai stones A rai stone (), or fei stone, is one of many large artifacts that were manufactured and treasured by the native inhabitants of the Yap islands in Federated States of Micronesia, Micronesia. They are also known as Yapese stone money or similar nam ...

; however, the ease of making the stone money ultimately helped lead to its decline during the period of German rule. Still the wealth allowed him to own an island, of which he was considered "king". Reportedly he had his own emblem, which showed the US flag waving over the letters "O K." He took two Yapese wives, despite already having a wife and daughter in Savannah. In 1901 he died on the ship ''Santa Cruz'' returning to Savannah. ''His Majesty O'Keefe'' is the story of O'Keefe's life on Yap. A film of the same name starring

Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor. Initially known for playing tough characters with tender hearts, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-year caree ...

was made in 1954.''His Majesty O'Keefe'' on IMDb
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Notes

References

* ''The New Book of Lists'' pgs 384–385 {{DEFAULTSORT:Okeefe, David 19th-century Irish people 1820s births 1901 deaths Yap Year of birth uncertain American sailors People from Savannah, Georgia Irish emigrants to the United States Maritime folklore People who died at sea

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