Representative Melvin Herbert Evans

Melvin Herbert Evans served as a Representative from U.S. Virgin Islands in the United States Congress from 1979 to 1981. A member of the Republican Party, Melvin Herbert Evans contributed to the legislative process during 1 term in office.

Melvin Herbert Evans’s service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history. As a member of the House of Representatives, Melvin Herbert Evans participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of constituents.

Melvin Herbert Evans (August 7, 1917 – November 27, 1984) was an American politician who served as the first governor of the United States Virgin Islands, the first black person elected governor in the United States’ history. After his tenure as governor he served as the territory’s at-large delegate to the United States House of Representatives and ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago. Evans was born Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands, in 1917, and was the valedictorian of his high school class. He graduated magna cum laude from Howard University and later the University of California, Berkeley. From 1959 to 1967, he was the health commissioner of the U.S. Virgin Islands and oversaw a decline in infant mortality. President Richard Nixon appointed Evans as the islands’ governor, the last one to be appointed rather than elected, and became its first elected governor. His tenure saw a great increase in road construction and he chaired the Southern Governors’ Association. He lost reelection in 1974, but was elected to one term in the U.S. House.