Henry Louis Larsen

Lieutenant General Henry Louis Larsen (December 10, 1890 – October 2, 1962) was a United States Marine Corps officer, the second Military Governor of Guam following its recapture from the Empire of Japan, and the first post-World War II Governor of Guam. He also served as the Military Governor of American Samoa alongside civilian Governor of American Samoa Laurence Wild. Larsen was among the first troops overseas in both World Wars. During World War I, he commanded the 3rd Battalion 5th Marines and participated in numerous battles in France, earning the Navy Cross, three Silver Stars, the Croix de guerre with palm, and the French Legion of Honour. In between the World Wars, he served during the United States occupation of Nicaragua, where he earned his second Navy Cross, the Presidential Medal of Merit from President of Nicaragua José María Moncada Tapia, and his first Navy Distinguished Service Medal.

He served as the director of plans and policies for the Marine Corps until the United States became involved in World War II. He commanded the first troops to leave the United States – the 8th Marine Regiment. During the war he served as military governor of both American Samoa and Guam. On Guam he faced an island with large infrastructure damage from the two battles that had taken place there and undertook a project to transform Guam into a forward military base housing large numbers of troops. In the single largest construction project ever undertaken by the United States Navy, Larsen converted the island into an air and sea base that frequently launched attacks on the main Japanese islands. He also oversaw the capturing of remaining guerrilla Japanese forces and contended with race rioting between white and African American sailors and Marines.

Life Larsen was born on December 10, 1890, in Chicago to Andrew A. Larsen, a builder, and his wife.

He was fluent in French, Spanish, and Norwegian and served as a certified interpreter for all three.

Military service Larsen joined the United States Marine Corps at the age of 23; he earned top marks in a class of 75 at Officer Candidates School. He received a third Citation Star during the war; all three were later converted to Silver Stars, making him the recipient of three Silver Star awards. He was among a few Marine officers who were instructed at the École Militaire in France as part of an officer training exchange program in the 1930s Larsen negotiated the American occupation of Western Samoa with New Zealand during World War II.

Guam Larsen served as Governor of Guam from August 15, 1944, to May 30, 1946. Larsen mainly concerned himself with military and construction affairs, leaving the day-to-day administration of the island to Commander James Barton, the Deputy Chief Military Government Officer. He oversaw an effort to round up the remaining Japanese forces who remained on the island. This included a plan in which some senior Japanese prisoners were released under the promise that they would round up other hidden forces and order them to surrender.

A number of altercations involving the service of African American serviceman alongside whites ensued while Larsen commanded the island's forces. These included the shooting of an African American Marine by a white sailor and attacks on African American barracks by whites with smoke grenades. Despite Larsen issuing a statement calling for respect toward military members of "various races and colors", the violence continued. It culminated in the commandeering of automatic weapons and trucks by 43 African American sailors in the short-lived Agana race riot, prompting their arrest by Marine military police and sentencing of up to four years in prison each. The men eventually obtained their freedom after Walter Francis White, an NAACP leader, advocated for them by claiming the situation was created by discrimination toward the men mixed with poor leadership in their unit.

During the war, he commanded over 215,000 personnel on the island and oversaw the development of the island into a major air and sea military base in the single largest construction project in the history of the United States Navy. By the time the war ended, the island contained five air bases and eight air strips, from which many planes made bombing runs on the Japanese mainland. Larsen planned to convert the heavily damaged capital of Agana into a more modern American city with a grid plan similar to Santa Monica, California, but never achieved his "New Agana".

Post-military career After Larsen retired from the Marine Corps, Governor of Colorado Daniel I.J. Thornton appointed him Colorado Civilian Defense Director, a position he held from 1949 through 1959. He used the position to advocate for greater civil defense spending, accusing President Harry Truman of neglecting to fully prepare the nation for war should it come again.

Decorations

Lieutenant General Larsen's ribbon bar:

First Navy Cross citation Citation:

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Major Henry L. Larsen (MCSN: 0-540), United States Marine Corps, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished service as Battalion Commander, Third Battalion, 5th Regiment Marines. On 4 October 1918, Major Larsen's battalion was leading in the attack made by the Fifth Marines, while operating with the 4th French Army, east of Rheims. The French troops on his left not being advanced, and the Brigade on his right being somewhat in rear of the advance, his battalion had both flanks exposed. In spite of this, his coolness and personal bravery enabled him to hold on to the ground gained. The Germans repeatedly counter-attacked, in one instance directly from his left rear, and his position throughout the whole day was under a most severe artillery and machine-gun fire. Major Larsen constantly visited the most exposed parts of his lines and encouraged his men by his inspiring example.

Larsen is interred with his wife Elizabeth Ammons Larsen (1893–1990) at Arlington National Cemetery.