Office of Territorial Affairs
Encyclopedia
The Office of Territorial Affairs was an office within the United States Department of the Interior
responsible for administration of certain United States territories.
Prior to the 1930's, responsibility for administration of various United States territories and insular possession was divided among several government departments. Federal responsibilities in the territories of Alaska
and Hawaii
were performed by the Interior Department; Puerto Rico
and the Philippine Islands
were administered by the Bureau of Insular Affairs
in the War Department
; while the United States Virgin Islands
, Guam
, and American Samoa
were administered by the United States Department of the Navy
.
In 1934, the administration of President
Franklin D. Roosevelt
established the Division of Territories and Island Possessions in the Interior Department to centralize most territorial administration within the federal government. The new Division was immediately assigned principal federal responsibility with respect to Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. Subsequently, the Division was given responsibility for the Philippines (which became independent in 1946), and after World War II
, also assumed responsibility for the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
. The Division also was responsible for administration of several islands claimed by the United States under the Guano Act, including Howland
, Baker
, and Jarvis
Islands.
The Division's name was changed to the Office of Territories in 1950. The office's work was significantly reduced after Puerto Rico attained Commonwealth status in 1952 and Alaska and Hawaii were granted statehood in 1959.
In 1971, the Office of Territories was temporarily abolished and territorial administration was coordinated by a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Territorial Affairs in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Land Management. In 1973, the agency was reconstituted as the Office of Territorial Affairs, which remained the designation until 1980, when an Office of Assistant Secretary for Territorial and International Affairs was created. (The designation "international" refers to what became the freely associated states of the Marshall Islands
, the Federated States of Micronesia
, and Palau
.) Today, the Interior Department, through the Office of Insular Affairs
, continues to be responsible for federal administration in the United States' outlying insular territories including American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands
.
The first Director of Territories was Ernest Gruening
, who served from 1934 to 1939, and later served as the territorial governor of Alaska and then as one of the first senators
elected from Alaska upon statehood.
United States Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
responsible for administration of certain United States territories.
Prior to the 1930's, responsibility for administration of various United States territories and insular possession was divided among several government departments. Federal responsibilities in the territories of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
and Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
were performed by the Interior Department; Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
and the Philippine Islands
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
were administered by the Bureau of Insular Affairs
Bureau of Insular Affairs
The Bureau of Insular Affairs was a division of the United States War Department that oversaw United States administration of certain territories from 1902 until 1939....
in the War Department
United States Department of War
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...
; while the United States Virgin Islands
United States Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands of the United States are a group of islands in the Caribbean that are an insular area of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles.The U.S...
, Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, and American Samoa
American Samoa
American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa...
were administered by the United States Department of the Navy
United States Department of the Navy
The Department of the Navy of the United States of America was established by an Act of Congress on 30 April 1798, to provide a government organizational structure to the United States Navy and, from 1834 onwards, for the United States Marine Corps, and when directed by the President, of the...
.
In 1934, the administration of President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
established the Division of Territories and Island Possessions in the Interior Department to centralize most territorial administration within the federal government. The new Division was immediately assigned principal federal responsibility with respect to Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. Subsequently, the Division was given responsibility for the Philippines (which became independent in 1946), and after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, also assumed responsibility for the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands was a United Nations trust territory in Micronesia administered by the United States from 1947 to 1986.-History:...
. The Division also was responsible for administration of several islands claimed by the United States under the Guano Act, including Howland
Howland Island
Howland Island is an uninhabited coral island located just north of the equator in the central Pacific Ocean, about southwest of Honolulu. The island lies almost halfway between Hawaii and Australia and is an unincorporated, unorganized territory of the United States. Geographically, it is part...
, Baker
Baker Island
Baker Island is an uninhabited atoll located just north of the equator in the central Pacific Ocean about southwest of Honolulu. The island lies almost halfway between Hawaii and Australia, and is a possession of the United States. Its nearest neighbor is Howland Island, to the north.Located at...
, and Jarvis
Jarvis Island
Jarvis Island is an uninhabited 4.5 square kilometer coral island located in the South Pacific Ocean at , about halfway between Hawaii and the Cook Islands...
Islands.
The Division's name was changed to the Office of Territories in 1950. The office's work was significantly reduced after Puerto Rico attained Commonwealth status in 1952 and Alaska and Hawaii were granted statehood in 1959.
In 1971, the Office of Territories was temporarily abolished and territorial administration was coordinated by a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Territorial Affairs in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Land Management. In 1973, the agency was reconstituted as the Office of Territorial Affairs, which remained the designation until 1980, when an Office of Assistant Secretary for Territorial and International Affairs was created. (The designation "international" refers to what became the freely associated states of the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
, the Federated States of Micronesia
Federated States of Micronesia
The Federated States of Micronesia or FSM is an independent, sovereign island nation, made up of four states from west to east: Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae. It comprises approximately 607 islands with c...
, and Palau
Palau
Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...
.) Today, the Interior Department, through the Office of Insular Affairs
Office of Insular Affairs
The Office of Insular Affairs is a unit of the United States Department of the Interior that oversees federal administration of several United States possessions...
, continues to be responsible for federal administration in the United States' outlying insular territories including American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands
Northern Mariana Islands
The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , is a commonwealth in political union with the United States, occupying a strategic region of the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines...
.
The first Director of Territories was Ernest Gruening
Ernest Gruening
Ernest Henry Gruening was an American journalist and Democrat who was the Governor of the Alaska Territory from 1939 until 1953, and a United States Senator from Alaska from 1959 until 1969.-Early life:...
, who served from 1934 to 1939, and later served as the territorial governor of Alaska and then as one of the first senators
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
elected from Alaska upon statehood.