jul 25, 1898 - 1st US Military Governor of Puerto Rico General Nelson A. Miles

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Military Commandant under US Rule
25 Jul 1898 - 21 Oct 1898 Nelson Appleton Miles

Nelson Appleton Miles (August 8, 1839 – May 15, 1925) was an American military general who served in the American Civil War, the American Indian Wars, and the Spanish–American War. From 1895 to 1903, he served as the last Commanding General of the United States Army before the office was abolished.

In his capacity as commander of the Department of the East from 1894 to 1895, Miles commanded the troops mobilized to put down the Pullman strike riots.[7] He was named Commanding General of the United States Army in 1895, a post he held during the Spanish–American War. Miles commanded forces at Cuban sites such as Siboney.

After the surrender of Santiago de Cuba by the Spanish, he led the invasion of Puerto Rico,[8] landing in Guánica in what is known as the Puerto Rican Campaign. He served as the first head of the military government established on the island, acting as both heads of the army of occupation and administrator of civil affairs. Upon returning to the United States, Miles was a vocal critic of the Army's quartermaster general, Brigadier General Charles P. Eagan, for providing rancid canned meat to troops in the field during what was known as the Army beef scandal. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general in 1900 based on his performance in the war.

To show that he was still physically able to command, on July 14, 1903, less than a month before his 64th birthday, General Miles rode the 90 miles from Fort Sill to Fort Reno, Oklahoma, in eight hours' riding time (10 hrs 20 mins total), in temperatures between 90 and 100 °F (32 and 38 °C). The distance was covered on a relay of horses stationed at 10-mile intervals; the first 30 miles were covered in 2 hours, 25 minutes. This was the longest horseback ride ever made by a commanding general of the army.[9]

Called a "brave peacock" by President Theodore Roosevelt,[citation needed] Miles nevertheless retired from the army in 1903 upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 64. Upon his retirement, the office of Commanding General of the United States Army was abolished by an Act of Congress and the Army Chief of Staff system was introduced. A year later, standing as a presidential candidate at the Democratic National Convention, he received a handful of votes.[citation needed] The Prohibition Party was going to give him their nomination, but an hour before balloting he sent a telegram to the convention stating that he did not want the nomination which went to Silas C. Swallow instead.[10] When the United States entered World War I in 1917, the 77-year-old general offered to serve, but President Woodrow Wilson turned him down.[citation needed]

Miles died in 1925 at the age of 85 from a heart attack while attending a circus in Washington, D.C. with his grandchildren. He was one of the last surviving general officers who served during the Civil War on either side.[11] He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in the Miles Mausoleum. It is one of only two mausoleums within the confines of the cemetery. George Burroughs Torrey painted his portrait.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_A._Miles

EIGHT DAYS OF INDEPENDENCE

General elections are held in March 1898 and the first “autonomous” government of Puerto Rico begins to function on July 17, 1898.

Just eight days later, on July 25, Nelson A. Miles (the Commanding General of the U.S. Army) invades Puerto Rico with 16,000 soldiers as part of the Spanish-American War.

Military Commandant under US Rule
25 Jul 1898 - 21 Oct 1898 Nelson Appleton Miles
21 Oct 1898 - 9 Dec 1898 John Ruller Brooke
9 Dec 1898 - 9 May 1899 Guy Vernor Henry
9 May 1899 - 1 May 1900 George Whitefield Davis

Governors under US Rule
1 May 1900 - 15 Sep 1901 Charles Herbert Allen
15 Sep 1901 - 4 Jul 1904 William Henry Hunt
4 Jul 1904 - 18 Apr 1907 Beekman Winthrop
18 Apr 1907 - 6 Nov 1909 Regis Henry Prost
6 Nov 1909 - 15 Nov 1913 George Radcliffe Colton
15 Nov 1913 - May 1921 Arthur Yager

http://www.elboricua.com/Governors.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_governors_of_Puerto_Rico#Post-Foraker_Act_of_1900

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