Phelps Phelps

The Honorable Phelps Phelps
New York Senate from the 13th district
In office 1939–1942
Member of the New York State Assembly from the 3rd District
In office 1937–1938
Member of the New York State Assembly from the 10th District
In office 1924–1928
Personal details
Born	Phelps von Rottenburg (1897-05-04)May 4, 1897 Fordham Law School
Occupation	Attorney and politician
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Rank	Captain

Phelps Phelps (May 4, 1897 – June 10, 1981), born Phelps von Rottenburg, was an American politician who held a number of offices in

Upon his appointment as governor to American Samoa in 1951, Phelps became its first civilian governor. The United States Navy largely withdrew from the island with the last naval governor, leaving Phelps to restructure an economy previously centered on the military. He promoted the oil storage facilities on the island and attracted new airlines to Pago Pago International Airport in an attempt to make up lost revenue. His last overseas post was as Ambassador to the Dominican Republic under the rule of Rafael Trujillo. There, he had to negotiate land sales between the two governments and respond to citizen's anger when possible assassinations on United States soil ordered by Trujillo. Phelps never married or owned property, preferring to wander between various hotels, and lived with four women throughout his life. Phelps died in Wildwood, New Jersey, and is buried at the Arlington National Cemetery.

Life

Early life

Phelps was born Phelps von Rottenburg on May 4, 1897, in

From 1923 to 1924, Phelps held the post of Deputy Commissioner for Veterans Affairs for New York City.^[3] He served as a Republican member of the New York State Assembly from Greenwich Village in 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927 and 1928.^[3] In 1928, he ran for a nomination for the United States House of Representatives, but lost the primary to Ruth Baker Pratt, who would become the first congresswoman from New York.^[4] Following the 1932 Republican National Convention, Phelps became a Democrat, and travelled to the 1936, 1956, and 1960 Democratic National Conventions as a delegate.^[2] He was again a member of the State Assembly (New York Co., 3rd D.) in 1937 and 1938; and a member of the New York State Senate (13th D.) from 1939 to 1942, sitting in the 162nd and 163rd New York State Legislatures.^[2]

After leaving his diplomatic post in the Dominican Republic, Phelps served as commissioner for the Palisades Interstate Park Commission. He was a delegate to the New Jersey State Constitutional Convention in 1966.^[2] He hosted a long-standing radio program, where he commented on politics and current events.^[2] When Jimmy Carter became President, Phelps objected to the moral platforms the Democratic Party had chosen to take, and returned to the Republican Party.^[2]

Governorship

Phelps never married, but lived with four different women throughout his lifetime. He was a major baseball fan, and had personal friendships with numerous well-known players of the time. Phelps received much of the attention of his mother and grandmother during his childhood; this led to a strained relationship with his sister, who remained embittered towards him for the rest of her life. She left America in the 1920s, and never spoke with him again.^[2] He preferred to live in hotels and move from place to place, and never owned any real estate.^[2]

Bibliography

• Phelps, Phelps; Hester Eloise Hosford (1933). America on Trial. T. J. Powers Company.
• Phelps, Phelps; Hester Eloise Hosford (1932). Our Defenses Within and Without. T. J. Powers Company.

References