List of governors of American Samoa

This is a list of governors, etc. of the part of the Samoa islands (now comprising American Samoa) under United States administration since 1900.

From 1900 to 1977 govenors were appointed by the United States Government. Since that time they have been elected for 4-year terms by the people of American Samoa.

Commandant governors (1900–1905)

Term	Incumbent	Notes
17 February 1900 to 27 November 1901	Benjamin Franklin Tilley, Commandant	17 April 1900: Tutuila ceded to United States
27 November 1901 to 16 December 1902	Uriel Sebree, Commandant
16 December 1902 to 5 May 1903	Henry Minett, acting Commandant
5 May 1903 to 30 January 1905	Edmund Beardsley Underwood, Commandant/Governor	16 July 1904: Manu'a ceded to United States

Naval governors (1905–1951)

Term	Incumbent	Notes
30 January 1905 to 21 May 1908	Charles Brainard Taylor Moore, Governor
21 May 1908 to 10 November 1910	John Frederick Parker (Navy), Governor
10 November 1910 to 14 March 1913	William Michael Crose, Governor	17 July 1911: U.S. Naval Station Tutuila renamed American Samoa
14 March 1913 to 14 July 1913	Nathan Woodworth Post, acting Governor	1st Term
14 July 1913 to 2 October 1914	Clark Daniel Stearns, Governor
2 October 1914 to 6 December 1914	Nathan Woodworth Post, acting Governor	2nd Term
6 December 1914 to 1 March 1915	Charles Armijo Woodruff, acting Governor
1 March 1915 to 10 June 1919	John Martin Poyer, Governor
10 June 1919 to 3 November 1920	Warren Jay Terhune, Governor
11 November 1920 to 1 March 1922	Waldo A. Evans, Governor
1 March 1922 to 4 September 1923	Edwin Taylor Pollock, Governor
4 September 1923 to 17 March 1925	Edward Stanley Kellogg, Governor
17 March 1925 to 9 September 1927	Henry Francis Bryan, Governor
9 September 1927 to 2 August 1929	Stephen Victor Graham, Governor	20 February 1929: U.S. Congress recognition of the cession of Tutuila and Manu'a by their chiefs, with retrospective to 16 July 1904
2 August 1929 to 24 March 1931	Gatewood Sanders Lincoln, Governor	1st Term
24 March 1931 to 22 April 1931	James Sutherland Spore acting Governor
22 April 1931 to 17 July 1931	Arthur Tenney Emerson, acting Governor
17 July 1931 to 12 May 1932	Gatewood Sanders Lincoln, Governor	2nd Term
12 May 1932 to 10 April 1934	George Bertram Landenberger, Governor
10 April 1934 to 17 April 1934	Thomas Calloway Latimore, acting Governor
17 April 1934 to 15 January 1936	Otto Carl Dowling, Governor
15 January 1936 to 20 January 1936	Thomas Benjamin Fitzpatrick, acting Governor
20 January 1936 to 3 June 1938	MacGillivray Milne, Governor
26 June 1938 to 30 July 1940	Edward William Hanson, Governor
30 July 1940 to 8 August 1940	Jesse Rink Wallace, acting Governor
8 August 1940 to 5 June 1942	Laurence Wild, Governor
17 January 1942 to 25 April 1942	Henry Louis Larsen, Military Governor
5 June 1942 to 8 February 1944	John Gould Moyer, Governor
8 February 1944 to 27 January 1945	Allen Hobbs, Governor
27 January 1945 to 3 September 1945	Ralph Waldo Hungerford, Governor
3 September 1945 to 10 September 1945	Samuel Wakefield Canan, acting Governor
10 September 1945 to 22 April 1947	Harold Alexander Houser, Governor
22 April 1947 to 15 June 1949	Vernon Huber, Governor
7 July 1949 to 23 February 1951	Thomas Francis Darden, Jr., Governor

Appointed governors (1951–1978)

Term	Incumbent	Notes
23 February 1951 to 20 June 1952	Phelps Phelps, Governor
16 July 1952 to 23 November 1952	John C. Elliott, Governor
28 November 1952 to 4 March 1953	James Arthur Ewing, Governor
4 March 1953 to 5 August 1953	Lawrence M. Judd, Governor
1 October 1953 to 15 October 1956	Richard Barrett Lowe, Governor
15 October 1956 to 24 May 1961	Peter Tali Coleman, Governor	1st Term
24 May 1961 to 31 July 1967	Hyrum Rex Lee, Governor	1st Term
1 August 1967 to 31 July 1969	Owen Stuart Aspinall, Governor
1 August 1969 to 14 October 1974	John Morse Haydon, Governor
15 October 1974 to 6 February 1975	Frank C. Mockler, acting Governor
6 February 1975 to 30 September 1976	Earl B. Ruth, Governor
1 October 1976 to 27 May 1977	Frank Barnett, Governor
28 May 1977 to 3 January 1978	Hyrum Rex Lee, Governor	2nd Term

Elected governors (1978–present)

No.	Picture	Governor	Took office	left office	Party
style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color; color:white;" | 51		Peter Tali Coleman (1919–1997)	January 3, 1978	January 3, 1985	Republican
style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color; color:white;" | 52		A. P. Lutali (1919–2002)	January 3, 1985	January 2, 1989	Democratic
style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color; color:white;" | 53		Peter Tali Coleman (1919–1997)	January 2, 1989	January 3, 1993	Republican
style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color; color:white;" | 54		A. P. Lutali (1919–1997)	January 3, 1993	January 3, 1997	Democratic
style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color; color:white;" | 55		Tauese Sunia (1941–2003)	January 3, 1997	March 26, 2003	Democratic
style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color; color:white;" | –		Togiola Tulafono (b. 1947)	March 26, 2003	April 7, 2003	Democratic
style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color; color:white;" | 56			April 7, 2003	January 3, 2013
style="background: Template:Independent (politician)/meta/color; color:white;" | 57		Lolo Letalu Matalasi Moliga (b. 1949)	January 3, 2013	Incumbent	Independent

Living former governors

As of October 2013 there is one living former governor of American Samoa. The most recent-serving governor to die was Tauese Sunia (1997–2003), on March 26, 2003.

Name	Gubernatorial term	Date of birth
Togiola Tulafono	2003–2013	(1947-02-28) February 28, 1947

Latest election

Main article: American Samoa gubernatorial election, 2012

Election results, Governor of American Samoa, November 6, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Lolo Letalu Matalasi Moliga	4,372	33.5
	Democratic	Faoa Aitofele Sunia	4,315	33.1
	Independent	Afoa Moega Lutu	2,521	19.3
	Independent	Salu Hunkin-Finau	893	6.8
	Independent	Save Liuato Tuitele	763	5.8
	Independent	Timothy Jones	189	1.4
Total votes			13,053	100

Due to no candidate receiving more than 50% of the vote a runoff election was held.

Runoff election results, Governor of American Samoa, November 20, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Lolo Letalu Matalasi Moliga	6,645	52.9
	Democratic	Faoa Aitofele Sunia	5,908	47.1
Total votes			12,553	100