Roy Schneider

Roy Lester Schneider (born May 13, 1939) is a physician in the United States Virgin Islands who served as governor of that territory from January 5, 1995 to January 4, 1999. He was the fifth elected governor of that territory and the 26th overall.

Biography

Schneider was born on the island of Saint Thomas in 1939. He attended Howard University, earning a bachelor's degree in 1961 and a medical degree in 1965. He served in the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1968 during the Vietnam War. In Vietnam, he was a medical advisor and surgeon from 1967 to 1968. The United States awarded him a Bronze Star for his service, while the Republic of Vietnam awarded him the Vietnamese Honor Medal First Class and the Technical Service Honor Medal.

After returning to civilian life, Schneider became a physician in his native Virgin Islands. He served as the U.S. Virgin Islands' Commissioner of Health from 1977 to 1987. In 1994, he was elected to the governorship. In 1999, he was defeated for re-election by Democrat Charles Wesley Turnbull.

Schneider is the namesake of the Roy Lester Schneider Hospital on Saint Thomas.