Henry Louis Larsen

Henry Louis Larsen

Henry Louis Larsen (born December 10, 1890 in Chicago , Illinois , †  October 2, 1962 in Denver , Colorado ) was an American officer. In 1942 he was the military governor of American Samoa ; from 1944 to 1946 he held the same office in Guam .

Career

Henry Larsen moved to Denver with his parents at the age of 16. He later enrolled in the Army and Navy Academy , then a San Diego- based military academy. In 1913, he joined the United States Marine Corps , where he began a long career as an officer. At the end of his military career, he had made it to the position of Lieutenant General, a three-star general. He took an active part in various battles of the First World War and was awarded numerous medals, including the Silver Star , the Navy Cross , the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honor . Between the two world wars, he served in various positions in the Caribbean and the Pacific. He was stationed in American Samoa and Nicaragua , among others . Between 1938 and 1940 he was director of planning and regulations at Marine Corps Headquarters in Washington, DC

Between January 17 and April 25, 1942 he was the military governor of American Samoa. He shared this office with Laurence Wild . This led to conflicts between the two men. Larsen held the higher rank, but Wild was longer in office and Larsen was superior. In 1943, Larsen became the command of a naval base in North Carolina . On July 21, 1944, he became the island commander of Guam. Between August 15, 1944 and May 30, 1946 he acted as military governor there and had to rebuild the administration after the Japanese occupation. During the war, further military bases and airfields were set up there for further warfare against Japan. After the war, Larsen worked on rebuilding the island. He also received the Bronze Star and the Navy Distinguished Service Medal .

After retiring from the Marine Corps, Henry Larsen was named director of civil defense for that state by Colorado Governor Dan Thornton . He held this office between 1949 and 1959. He also headed the National Association of Directors of Civil Defense for each US state. Henry Larsen was married to Elizabeth Ammons, daughter of Governor Elias M. Ammons . This also made him brother-in-law of Teller Ammons , who was also governor of Colorado. He died in Denver on October 2, 1962 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Web links

• Brief biography at Arlington National Cemetery