George Robert Salisbury was a
United States NavyCommodore who served as the 15th
Naval Governor of Guam. Though he originally served as an
Engineering Duty Officer, he eventually stopped being a
Restricted Line Officer, and retired from the Navy as a Commodore. As governor, he rolled back a number of educational reforms and encouraged a new ranch system. He also took drastic measures to control the
leprosy epidemic on the island, removing the infected to
Philippines. He was briefly called into service during
World War I before retiring.
Salisbury was
Governor of Guam from January 21, 1911, to January 30, 1912.[7] He rolled back some education reforms of Governor
Edward John Dorn, and once again allowed residents who lived more than two hours from a public school to forgo attendance if they desired.[8] He also changed the age of compulsory schooling to those between the ages of six and twelve.[9] Salisbury soon found himself, like the governors before him, unable to control the spread of
leprosy through
Guam. Taking drastic measures, he began removing the infected from the island, quarantining them in the
Philippines.[10] He encouraged the native
Chamorro population to increasingly live on ranches, raise livestock, and farm.[9]
Personal life
On January 10, 1889, Salisbury married Adele Trowbridge in Brooklyn, New York.[11][12] They had one son, Samuel.[13] On December 6, 1913, Salisbury divorced Adele Trowbridge in an uncontested court decision with no
alimony.[14][15]
On October 6, 1950, Salisbury died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[16]