Ralph Moses Paiewonsky
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Ralph Moses Paiewonsky (born November 9, 1907, Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; died November 9, 1991, St. Thomas) was a businessman and politician who served as the ninth civilian governor of the United States Virgin Islands from 1961-1969.
Paiewonsky was the son of Lithuanian immigrants to the Virgin Islands. He graduated from New York University in 1930. He managed various family businesses, and was a founder of the West Indies Bank and Trust Company in 1954. In 1961, he was appointed Governor by President John F. Kennedy.
Paiewonsky's administration established the Department of Housing and Community Renewal in 1962, and began a program of land acquisition and home construction. Approximately 8,000 new homes were built under this program during Paiewonsky's term. He also supported public education reforms and the establishment of the University of the Virgin Islands in 1962. Paiewonsky served as chairman of the university's board of directors until his death; the university's library is named for Paiewonsky.
Paiewonsky was a delegate to Democratic National Conventions between 1940 and 1960, and served as National Democratic Committeeman from the Virgin Islands. He was awarded honorary degrees from Tufts University and Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1967. In 1991, he published an autobiography, "Memoirs of A Governor."
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| Preceded by John David Merwin |
Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands 1961–1969 |
Succeeded by Cyril E. King |
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