Editing Palmyra Atoll (section)

=== Part of the U.S. Territory of Hawaii (1900–1959) ===
[[File:Tallest Pisonia grandis on Palmyra with H E Cooper.jpg|thumb|upright|Tallest ''[[Pisonia grandis]]'' tree at Palmyra, with [[Henry E. Cooper]] in 1913]]
In 1898, the United States by the [[Newlands Resolution]] annexed the [[Republic of Hawaii]], formerly the [[Provisional Government of Hawaii]], and Palmyra with it. An Act of Congress made all of Hawaii, including Palmyra, into an "incorporated territory" of the United States. (''Act'' of April 30, 1900, ch. 339, §§ 4–5.) On June 14, 1900, Palmyra became part of the new U.S. [[Territory of Hawaii]].<ref name="DOI OIA"/>

With the imminent opening of the [[Panama Canal]], Palmyra became strategically important. Britain had established a [[submarine communications cable|submarine cable]] station for the [[All Red Line]] on nearby [[Tabuaeran|Fanning Island]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Palmyra Title May Now be Tested: Sale of Fanning Brings the Little Hawaiian-Owned Group into Prominence|newspaper=The Hawaiian Gazette|location=Honolulu|date=January 16, 1912|url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83025121/1912-01-16/ed-1/seq-2/|access-date=August 20, 2010}}</ref> The [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] sent {{USS|West Virginia|ACR-5|6}} to Palmyra, where on February 21, 1912, American sovereignty was formally reaffirmed.<ref name="DOI OIA"/>

William Ringer Sr. died in 1909, survived by his wife and three minor daughters. 

On June 12, 1911, Wundenberg's widow sold his two-thirds undivided interest in Palmyra as a [[tenant in common]] to Judge [[Henry Ernest Cooper]] (1857–1929).<ref name="usvfull-dist">{{cite court |litigants=United States v. Fullard Leo et al.|reporter=66 F.Supp. |opinion =774|date=1940 |url=https://www.leagle.com/decision/194084066fsupp7741626 |access-date=March 28, 2018}}</ref>

In 1912, Cooper bought the Ringer daughters' inherited rights from their legal guardian, and petitioned to register [[Torrens title]] to all of Palmyra for himself. After a legal challenge, Cooper's ownership of the atoll was held by the [[Supreme Court of Hawaii]] to be subject to rights sold by Ringer's widow to Henry Maui and Joseph Clarke. Maui's and Clarke's interests, per the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] in 1947, had been divided, with one-third going to Bella Jones of Honolulu in 1912,<ref>{{cite court |litigants=Application No. 223 of Henry E. Cooper |reporter=Document No. 468, Hawaii Court of Land Registration |date=1912}}</ref> and the rest passing to their heirs.<ref name="cooper"/>
[[File:'Palmyra' by D. Howard Hitchcock, 1923.jpg|thumb|[[D. Howard Hitchcock]]'s 1923 painting ''Palmyra'']]

Cooper visited the island in July 1913 with scientists [[Charles Montague Cooke Jr.]] and [[Joseph F. Rock]], who wrote a scientific description of the atoll. Botanist Rock discovered unusual [[coconut palm]]s in 1913, which palms expert [[Odoardo Beccari]] identified as ''[[Cocos nucifera]] palmyrensis'' (Becc.), the [[coconut]] type with the largest, longest and most triangular (in cross-section) fruits in the world, existing only at Palmyra. (The closest ''[[Cocos nucifera]]'' relative occurs only in the distant [[Nicobar Islands]] in the [[Indian Ocean]].)<ref name="rock">{{cite news|title=Palmyra Island with a Description of its Flora|author=Joseph F. Rock|date=April 1916|work=Bulletin Number 4|publisher=College of Hawaii|url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=8jtEAAAAYAAJ|page=57}}|author-link=Joseph F. Rock}}</ref> The "mammoth coconuts" were put on display in Honolulu in 1914 along with paintings of Palmyra by Hawaiian artist [[D. Howard Hitchcock]],<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=Honolulu Star-Bulletin|location=Honolulu|date=May 28, 1914|page=4|title=Personal Mention|url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82014682/1914-05-28/ed-1/seq-4/|access-date=April 27, 2017}}</ref> who had accompanied Cooper to the island.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=Honolulu Star-Bulletin|location=Honolulu|date=April 23, 1914|page=4|title=Judge Cooper Is Enthusiastic; In Regard Palmyra|url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82014682/1914-04-23/ed-1/seq-4/|access-date=April 28, 2017}}</ref>

In September 1921, as part of a national push to better document the coastal and outlying areas owned by the United States, a small naval detachment was sent to Palmyra to conduct the first aerial surveys of the atoll. The events of that trip were recorded by a naval [[Pharmacist Mate]], M. L. Steele, who wrote:

<blockquote>During our visit the weather was delightful. The detachment remained at these islands two days and they were perfect for flying, affording an opportunity to take wonderful aerial pictures. The commanding officer and the aviators made a number of flights and the official photographer was in his element.</blockquote>

At the time, Palmyra was occupied by three Americans: Colonel William Meng, his wife, and Edwin Benner Jr.<ref>Morris, Penrose Clibborn (1933). "How the Territory of Hawaii Grew and What Domain It Covers," ''[http://hdl.handle.net/10524/70 Forty-Second Annual Report of the Hawaiian Historical Society for the Year 1933]'', p. 25. Retrieved November 27, 2020.</ref> While there, the USS ''[[Eagle-class patrol craft|Eagle Boat]] 40'', which had transported aircraft and photographic equipment to the islands, made a very rare exception to naval regulation and took aboard the wife, Mrs. Meng, to return her to Honolulu for medical aid, as she was not handling the isolation and trying physical conditions of Palmyra well.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Palmyra Islands|publisher=Hospital Corps Quarterly|author=M.L. Steele|date=January 1922|url=http://palmyraarchive.org/items/show/71|access-date=2017-01-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202082936/http://palmyraarchive.org/items/show/71|archive-date=2017-02-02|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On August 19, 1922, Cooper sold his interest in the atoll, except for two minor islets, to Leslie and Ellen Fullard-Leo for $15,000 ({{Inflation|US|15000|1922|fmt=eq}}). They established the Palmyra Copra Company to harvest the [[coconut]]s growing on the atoll. Their three sons, including actor [[Leslie Vincent]], continued as the owners afterward, subject to a period of military administration and construction by the Navy before and during [[World War II]] from 1939 through 1945. In 2000, [[The Nature Conservancy]] acquired the majority of Palmyra Atoll from the Fullard-Leo family for $30 million ({{Inflation|US|30000000|2000|fmt=eq}}).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/hawaii/palmyraatoll/explore/the-nature-conservancy-in-palmyra-atoll-history.xml |title=Palmyra: A Colorful History |publisher=The Nature Conservancy |access-date=August 14, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170823114921/https://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/hawaii/palmyraatoll/explore/the-nature-conservancy-in-palmyra-atoll-history.xml |archive-date=2017-08-23 |url-status=dead }}</ref>