Rothschild Francis

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Rothschild "Polly" Francis (1891–1963) was a self-taught activist in the U.S. Virgin Islands who fought for press freedom, full citizenship, and racial equality. In 1921 he started The Emancipator, a newspaper that pushed for social justice and civil liberties in the islands. Born in 1891 in Saint Thomas when the area was still Danish, he witnessed the U.S. purchase of the islands in 1917 and believed in the promises of the American Constitution, even as he faced racial discrimination under the naval government.

Francis served on the Colonial Council and called for an end to naval rule. He clashed with naval judge George Washington Williams, which led to several arrests and jailings over the years. He spoke before a U.S. Senate committee in 1924, arguing that the islands needed a civil government, not military rule. He believed democracy, properly applied, could reduce racism.

The Emancipator often faced censorship and legal threats. In 1924 Francis was convicted of criminal libel and jailed, and he was jailed again for contempt of court after a dispute related to his case. In 1925 he expressed in strong terms the need for a fully civil insular government and U.S. citizenship.

Francis left the Virgin Islands for New York in 1931 and never returned. He died in 1963, but his work left a lasting mark on Virgin Islands history. The islands honored him with Rothschild Francis Market Square in 1942 and a life-size statue in 1990. In 2022 a petition was filed for a posthumous pardon; it was approved with an amendment moving the request to the Virgin Islands governor. Francis is remembered for challenging naval rule and fighting for civil rights and self-government in the Virgin Islands.