List of U.S. governors of the Ryukyu Islands

This article lists the U.S. governors of the Ryukyu Islands (Japanese: 琉球諸島, Hepburn: Ryūkyū-shotō; Okinawan: 琉球/ルーチュー Ruuchuu), an archipelago of Japanese islands within Kagoshima and Okinawa prefectures, centered on the Okinawa Islands and its main island, Okinawa (the smallest and least populated of the five Japanese home islands^[1]).

U.S. governor of the Ryukyu Islands
琉球列島のアメリカ知事 (Ryūkyū-rettō no Amerika chiji)
Seal of High Commissioner of the Ryukyu Islands
Longest serving LTG James Benjamin Lampert 28 January 1968 – 14 May 1972
United States Department of War United States Department of Defense
Type	Military governor
Status	Senior-most officer of military occupation
Member of	USMGR (1945–1950) USCAR (1950–1972)
Seat	Naha, Okinawa
Term length	No fixed term
Constituting instrument	Treaty of San Francisco (Formal establishment)[a]
Precursor	Governor of Okinawa Prefecture
Formation	1 April 1945; 80 years ago (1945-04-01)
First holder	LTG Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr.
Final holder	LTG James Benjamin Lampert
Abolished	14 May 1972; 53 years ago (1972-05-14)
Succession	Governor of Okinawa Prefecture

The list encompasses the period of U.S. occupation, from the start of the Battle of Okinawa in 1945 until the return of the islands to Japanese sovereignty in 1972, in accordance with the 1971 Okinawa Reversion Agreement.^[2][3]

Officeholders

Source: ^[4]

† denotes people who died in office.

United States Military Government of the Ryukyu Islands (USMGR, 1945–1950)

Main article: United States Military Government of the Ryukyu Islands

Military Governors

No.	Portrait	Governor	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Defence branch
1		Buckner, SimonLieutenant general Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr. (1886–1945) [b]	1 April 1945	18 June 1945 †	78 days	United States Army
–		Geiger, RoyMajor general Roy Geiger (1885–1947) Acting [c]	18 June 1945	23 June 1945	5 days	United States Marine Corps
–		Stilwell, JosephGeneral Joseph Stilwell (1883–1946) Acting [d]	23 June 1945	31 July 1945	38 days	United States Army
2		Stilwell, JosephGeneral Joseph Stilwell (1883–1946) [d]	31 July 1945	16 October 1945	77 days	United States Army
N/A		Wallace, FredMajor general Fred Clute Wallace (1887–1959) Commanding General, Island Command Okinawa	June 1945	23 April 1946	10 months	United States Army
3		Lawson, LawrenceBrigadier general Lawrence A. Lawson (1897–1951)	17 October 1945	29 December 1945	73 days	United States Army
4		Hodson, FremontBrigadier general Fremont Byron Hodson Sr. (1894–1974)	30 December 1945	26 February 1946	58 days	United States Army
5		Donovan, LeoMajor general Leo Donovan (1895–1950)	27 February 1946	21 May 1946	83 days	United States Army
6		Hayden, FrederickBrigadier general Frederic Lord Hayden (1901–1969)	24 May 1946	11 May 1948	1 year, 353 days	United States Army
7		Eagles, WilliamMajor general William W. Eagles (1895–1988)	12 May 1948	30 September 1949	1 year, 141 days	United States Army
8		Sheetz, JosefMajor general Josef R. Sheetz (1895–1992)	1 October 1949	21 July 1950	293 days	United States Army
9		McClure, RobertMajor general Robert B. McClure (1896–1973)	28 July 1950	6 December 1950	131 days	United States Army
–		Sherman, HarryBrigadier general Harry B. Sherman (1894–1974) Acting	6 December 1950	9 December 1950	3 days	United States Army
10		Beightler, RobertMajor general Robert S. Beightler (1892–1978)	9 December 1950	15 December 1950	6 days	United States Army

United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands (USCAR, 1950–1972)

Main article: United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands

Governors and Commanders-in-Chief, Far East Command (in Tokyo)

Main articles: Far East Command (United States) and United States Forces Japan

No.	Portrait	Governor	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Defence branch
1		MacArthur, DouglasGeneral Douglas MacArthur (1880–1964) [e]	15 December 1950	11 April 1951[f]	117 days	United States Army
2		Ridgway, MatthewGeneral Matthew Ridgway (1895–1993) [e]	11 April 1951	12 May 1952	1 year, 31 days	United States Army
3		Clark, MarkGeneral Mark W. Clark (1896–1984)	12 May 1952	7 October 1953	1 year, 148 days	United States Army
4		Hull, JohnGeneral John E. Hull (1895–1975)	7 October 1953	1 April 1955	1 year, 176 days	United States Army
5		Taylor, MaxwellGeneral Maxwell D. Taylor (1901–1987)	1 April 1955	5 June 1955	65 days	United States Army
6		Lemnitzer, LymanGeneral Lyman Lemnitzer (1899–1988)	5 June 1955	30 June 1957	2 years, 25 days	United States Army

Deputy governors and Commanding Generals, Ryukyu Islands Command (in Naha)

No.	Portrait	Deputy Governor	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Defence branch
1		Beightler, RobertMajor general Robert S. Beightler (1892–1978)	15 December 1950	10 May 1951	146 days	United States Army
–		Sherman, HarryBrigadier general Harry B. Sherman (1894–1974) Acting	10 May 1951	7 August 1951	89 days	United States Army
(1)		Beightler, RobertMajor general Robert S. Beightler (1892–1978)	8 August 1951	16 December 1952	1 year, 130 days	United States Army
2		Lewis, JamesBrigadier general James Malcolm Lewis (1898–1954)	18 December 1952	2 January 1953	15 days	United States Army
3		Ogden, DavidLieutenant general David Ayres Depue Ogden (1897–1969)	3 January 1953	4 March 1955	2 years, 60 days	United States Army
4		Moore, JamesLieutenant general James Edward Moore (1902–1986)	5 March 1955	3 July 1957	2 years, 120 days	United States Army

High Commissioners

No.	Portrait	High Commissioner	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Defence branch
1		Moore, JamesLieutenant general James Edward Moore (1902–1986)	4 July 1957	30 April 1958	300 days	United States Army
2		Booth, DonaldLieutenant general Donald Prentice Booth (1902–1993)	1 May 1958	12 February 1961	2 years, 287 days	United States Army
3		Caraway, PaulLieutenant general Paul Caraway (1905–1985)	16 February 1961	31 July 1964	3 years, 166 days	United States Army
4		Watson, AlbertLieutenant general Albert Watson II (1909–1993)	1 August 1964	31 October 1966	2 years, 91 days	United States Army
5		Unger, FerdinandLieutenant general Ferdinand Thomas Unger (1914–1999)	2 November 1966	28 January 1968	1 year, 87 days	United States Army
6		Lampert, JamesLieutenant general James Benjamin Lampert (1914–1978)	28 January 1968	14 May 1972	4 years, 107 days	United States Army

Civil Administrators

No.	Portrait	Civil Administrator	Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Burger, VonnaVonna F. Burger (1902–1999)	June 1955	20 June 1959	4 years
2		Ondrick, JohnJohn G. Ondrick (1906–1974)	1 July 1959	May 1962	2 years, 10 months
3		McCune, ShannonShannon Boyd-Bailey McCune (1913–1993)	18 July 1962	8 February 1964	1 year, 205 days
4		Warner, GeraldGerald Warner (1907–1989)	11 February 1964	10 July 1967	3 years, 149 days
5		Carpenter, StanleyStanley Sherman Carpenter (1917–1982)	15 July 1967	15 August 1969	2 years, 31 days
6		Fearey, RobertRobert A. Fearey (1918–2004)	21 August 1969	12 May 1972	2 years, 265 days

Timeline

See also

• History of the Ryukyu Islands
• Government of the Ryukyu Islands, the body of Okinawan self-governance from 1952–1972.
• List of governors of the Nanpō Islands

Notes

1. Article 3 of the Treaty of San Francisco: "Japan will concur in any proposal of the United States to the United Nations to place under its trusteeship system, with the United States as the sole administering authority, Nansei Shoto south of 29° north latitude (including the Ryukyu Islands and the Daitō Islands), Nanpo Shoto south of Sofu Gan (including the Bonin Islands, Rosario Island and the Volcano Islands) and Parece Vela and Marcus Island. Pending the making of such a proposal and affirmative action thereon, the United States will have the right to exercise all and any powers of administration, legislation, and jurisdiction over the territory and inhabitants of these islands, including their territorial waters."
2. Commander of the Tenth Army; killed in action in the Battle of Okinawa.
3. Commander of the III Amphibious Corps; assumed the command of the Tenth Army upon the death of Buckner.
4. Commander of the Tenth Army.
5. Simultaneously served as SCAP.
6. Relieved of command by President Harry S. Truman.