Phelps Phelps, born Phelps von Rottenburg, was an American politician who held a number of offices in New York before becoming the governor of American Samoa and the United States Ambassador to the Dominican Republic.
26 Facts About Phelps Phelps
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Phelps Phelps attended Yale University in 1916, but was dismissed for cheating; he eventually graduated from Williams College and then Fordham University Law School, becoming an attorney.
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Phelps Phelps served another term in the State Assembly, and then in the New York State Senate.
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Phelps Phelps attended a New Jersey Constitutional Convention, hosted a long-running radio commentary show, and was a prolific writer of letters to the editor of major newspapers.
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Immediately following the war, Phelps served on Douglas MacArthur's staff during the Japanese War Crimes Tribunal.
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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.
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Phelps Phelps 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.
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Phelps Phelps's mother came from a wealthy family, and his father, who died when Phelps was nine, worked as a lawyer, but came from a family of shippers.
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Phelps Phelps's grandfather was William Walter Phelps, a politician who served multiple terms in the United States House of Representatives out of New Jersey's 5th congressional district and as the United States ambassador to Austria-Hungary; his great-grandfathers were John Jay Phelps and Joseph Earl Sheffield.
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Phelps Phelps attended Yale University in 1916, but was dismissed from the school after paying another student to take his exams for him.
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Phelps Phelps graduated from Williams College in 1922, and received his juris doctor from Fordham University School of Law in 1925.
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Phelps Phelps joined the Royal Flying Corps in Canada, but left later in the year to attend college.
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Phelps Phelps served in the infantry, and eventually achieved the rank of Captain.
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For much of his later life, Phelps lived in Jersey City, New Jersey.
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From 1923 to 1924, Phelps held the post of Deputy Commissioner for Veterans Affairs for New York City.
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Phelps Phelps served as a Republican member of the New York State Assembly from Greenwich Village in 1924,1925,1926,1927 and 1928.
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Phelps Phelps was a delegate to the New Jersey State Constitutional Convention in 1966.
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Phelps Phelps hosted a long-standing radio program, where he commented on politics and current events.
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When Jimmy Carter became president, Phelps objected to the moral platforms the Democratic Party had chosen to take, and returned to the Republican Party.
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President of the United States Harry S Truman appointed Phelps to serve as Governor of American Samoa, making him the first civilian governor of the islands; the previous governors had been naval officers.
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Phelps Phelps attempted to fix a number of political problems with the island.
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Only days after leaving the governor's seat, Phelps received appointment as the United States Ambassador to the Dominican Republic, serving from June 27,1952, to May 30,1953.
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Phelps Phelps negotiated a land deal where Trujillo purchased an empty lot the United States owned in Ciudad Trujillo, now Santo Domingo.
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Phelps Phelps was a major baseball fan, and had personal friendships with numerous well-known players of the time.
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Phelps Phelps left America in the 1920s, and never spoke with him again.
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Phelps Phelps preferred to live in hotels and move from place to place, and never owned any real estate.