Henry Hughes Hough
Encyclopedia
Henry Hughes Hough was a Rear Admiral
of the United States Navy
and one-time military Governor of the United States Virgin Islands. He was born in the French
overseas colony of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon
, off the coast of Newfoundland.
Hough graduated from the United States Naval Academy
in 1891. He served on board the torpedo boat
during the Spanish-American War
. Following the war, he alternated assignments in the Naval Intelligence office with ship-board duties. In 1911, he was made the Navy attache
to France
and, later, to Russia
. From 1914 to 1915, he was given his first command: the gunboat
, assigned to the Naval Academy. In 1918, he was made a district commander in Brest, France
. He was subsequently also a commissioner of the Prisoner of War Conference in Berne, Switzerland. From 1919 to 1921, he commanded the battleship , and from 1921 to 1922, the .
In 1922, while still a Captain, he was appointed as the Governor of the United States Virgin Islands
, a role that he only acted in for a year. Hough was the first non-acting military governor to govern as a Captain, rather than a Rear Admiral, and the first not to be born in the United States
.
In 1923, he was appointed as Director of Naval Intelligence
. The following year, he was promoted to Rear Admiral
on June 14, 1924. From 1925 to 1926, he commanded the Yangtze Patrol
. He retired from the Navy in 1935 and died in 1943. Hough is buried in Arlington National Cemetery
in Virginia
. Hough was survived by his wife Flaurence Oliphant (1877–1970).
Rear admiral (United States)
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. The uniformed services of the United States are unique in having two grades of rear admirals.- Rear admiral :...
of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and one-time military Governor of the United States Virgin Islands. He was born in the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
overseas colony of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon
Saint-Pierre and Miquelon
Saint Pierre and Miquelon is a self-governing territorial overseas collectivity of France. It is the only remnant of the former colonial empire of New France that remains under French control....
, off the coast of Newfoundland.
Hough graduated from the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
in 1891. He served on board the torpedo boat
Torpedo boat
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval vessel designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes. They were created to counter battleships and other large, slow and...
during the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
. Following the war, he alternated assignments in the Naval Intelligence office with ship-board duties. In 1911, he was made the Navy attache
Attaché
Attaché is a French term in diplomacy referring to a person who is assigned to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency...
to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and, later, to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. From 1914 to 1915, he was given his first command: the gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
, assigned to the Naval Academy. In 1918, he was made a district commander in Brest, France
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
. He was subsequently also a commissioner of the Prisoner of War Conference in Berne, Switzerland. From 1919 to 1921, he commanded the battleship , and from 1921 to 1922, the .
In 1922, while still a Captain, he was appointed as the Governor of 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...
, a role that he only acted in for a year. Hough was the first non-acting military governor to govern as a Captain, rather than a Rear Admiral, and the first not to be born in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
In 1923, he was appointed as Director of Naval Intelligence
Director of Naval Intelligence
The Director of Naval Intelligence refers to either one of two posts, both related to naval intelligence:* The head of the Naval Intelligence Division of the British Admiralty; or* The head of the Office of Naval Intelligence in the United States....
. The following year, he was promoted to Rear Admiral
Rear admiral (United States)
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. The uniformed services of the United States are unique in having two grades of rear admirals.- Rear admiral :...
on June 14, 1924. From 1925 to 1926, he commanded the Yangtze Patrol
Yangtze Patrol
The Yangtze Patrol, from 1854 to 1945, was a prolonged naval operation to protect American interests in the Yangtze River's treaty ports. Initially the patrol was carried out by ships of the United States Navy's East India and Asiatic Squadrons. In 1922, the "YangPat" was established as a formal...
. He retired from the Navy in 1935 and died in 1943. Hough is buried in Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. Hough was survived by his wife Flaurence Oliphant (1877–1970).