Saint Croix (Ilhas Virgens dos Estados Unidos), 1917 – 1984

By Marcel Gomes

He was the first governor elected by direct vote of the United States Virgin Islands, in 1970. Until then, the governors of this Caribbean territory were appointed by the United States government. Born in Saint Croix, the largest of the archipelago’s islands, he built a career in public health. He graduated in medicine from Howard University, in Washington, and worked in hospitals in New York and Saint Croix. From 1948 to 1950, he worked in the United States Public Health Service. In 1959, he returned to his homeland, taking charge of the Department of Health, where he remained until 1967. Two years later, the Republican administration of Richard Nixon appointed him to govern the Virgin Islands.

With permission granted by Congress for the territory to hold direct elections, Evans ran for the Republican Party. In November 1970, he was elected in the second round with 8,259 votes, defeating Cyril Emanuel King, who received 7,452 votes. During his administration, he invested in roads, education, housing, and incentives for the region’s economic expansion.

In 1974, Evans ran for re-election but lost to King. He returned to the political scene three years later, when he won the elections to represent the Virgin Islands in the United States Congress. From 1982 on, he assumed the embassy of Trinidad and Tobago, where he remained until his death.