List of governors of American Samoa
Appearance
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This is a list of governors, etc. of the part of the Samoan Islands (now comprising American Samoa) under United States administration since 1900.
From 1900 to 1977 governors 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 | Image | Incumbent | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
17 February 1900 — 27 November 1901 | ![]() |
Benjamin Franklin Tilley, Commandant | 17 April 1900: Tutuila ceded to United States |
27 November 1901 — 16 December 1902 | ![]() |
Uriel Sebree, Commandant | |
16 December 1902 — 5 May 1903 | ![]() |
Henry Minett, acting Commandant | |
5 May 1903 — 30 January 1905 | ![]() |
Edmund Beardsley Underwood, Commandant/Governor | 16 July 1904: Manu'a ceded to United States |
Term | Image | Incumbent | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
30 January 1905 — 21 May 1908 | ![]() |
Charles Brainard Taylor Moore, Governor | |
21 May 1908 — 10 November 1910 | ![]() |
John Frederick Parker, Governor | |
10 November 1910 — 14 March 1913 | ![]() |
William Michael Crose, Governor | 17 July 1911: U.S. Naval Station Tutuila renamed American Samoa |
14 March 1913 — 14 July 1913 | ![]() |
Nathan Woodworth Post, acting Governor | 1st Term |
14 July 1913 — 2 October 1914 | ![]() |
Clark Daniel Stearns, Governor | |
2 October 1914 — 6 December 1914 | ![]() |
Nathan Woodworth Post, acting Governor | 2nd Term |
6 December 1914 — 1 March 1915 | ![]() |
Charles Armijo Woodruff, acting Governor | |
1 March 1915 — 10 June 1919 | ![]() |
John Martin Poyer, Governor | |
10 June 1919 — 3 November 1920 | ![]() |
Warren Jay Terhune, Governor | |
11 November 1920 — 1 March 1922 | ![]() |
Waldo A. Evans, Governor | |
1 March 1922 — 4 September 1923 | ![]() |
Edwin Taylor Pollock, Governor | |
4 September 1923 — 17 March 1925 | ![]() |
Edward Stanley Kellogg, Governor | |
17 March 1925 — 9 September 1927 | ![]() |
Henry Francis Bryan, Governor | |
9 September 1927 — 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 — 24 March 1931 | Gatewood Sanders Lincoln, Governor | 1st Term | |
24 March 1931 — 22 April 1931 | ![]() |
James Sutherland Spore, acting Governor | |
22 April 1931 — 17 July 1931 | ![]() |
Arthur Tenney Emerson, acting Governor | |
17 July 1931 — 12 May 1932 | Gatewood Sanders Lincoln, Governor | 2nd Term | |
12 May 1932 — 10 April 1934 | ![]() |
George Bertram Landenberger, Governor | |
10 April 1934 — 17 April 1934 | ![]() |
Thomas C. Latimore, acting Governor | |
17 April 1934 — 15 January 1936 | ![]() |
Otto Carl Dowling, Governor | |
15 January 1936 — 20 January 1936 | ![]() |
Thomas Benjamin Fitzpatrick, acting Governor | |
20 January 1936 — 3 June 1938 | ![]() |
MacGillivray Milne, Governor | |
26 June 1938 — 30 July 1940 | ![]() |
Edward William Hanson, Governor | |
30 July 1940 — 8 August 1940 | ![]() |
Jesse R. Wallace, acting Governor | |
8 August 1940 — 5 June 1942 | ![]() |
Laurence Wild, Governor | |
17 January 1942 — 25 April 1942 | ![]() |
Henry Louis Larsen, Military Governor | |
5 June 1942 — 8 February 1944 | ![]() |
John Gould Moyer, Governor | |
8 February 1944 — 27 January 1945 | ![]() |
Allen Hobbs, Governor | |
27 January 1945 — 3 September 1945 | ![]() |
Ralph Waldo Hungerford, Governor | |
3 September 1945 — 10 September 1945 | ![]() |
Samuel Canan, acting Governor | |
10 September 1945 — 22 April 1947 | ![]() |
Harold Houser, Governor | |
22 April 1947 — 15 June 1949 | ![]() |
Vernon Huber, Governor | |
7 July 1949 — 23 February 1951 | ![]() |
Thomas Francis Darden, Jr., Governor |
Appointed governors (1951–1978)
Civilian governor | Took office | Left office | ||
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rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color" | | Phelps Phelps (1897–1981) |
February 23, 1951 | June 20, 1952 |
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rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color" | | John C. Elliott (1919–2001) |
July 16, 1952 | November 23, 1952 |
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rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color" | | James Arthur Ewing (born 1916) |
November 28, 1952 | March 4, 1953 |
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rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color" | | Lawrence M. Judd (1887–1968) |
March 4, 1953 | August 5, 1953 |
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rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color" | | Richard Barrett Lowe (1902–1972) |
August 5, 1953 | October 15, 1956 |
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rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color" | | Peter Tali Coleman (1919–1997) |
October 13, 1956 | May 24, 1961 |
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rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color" | | Hyrum Rex Lee (1910–2001) |
May 24, 1961 | July 31, 1967 |
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rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color" | | Owen Stuart Aspinall (1927–1997) |
August 1, 1967 | July 31, 1969 |
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rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color" | | John Morse Haydon (1920–1991) |
August 1, 1969 | October 14, 1974 |
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rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color" | | Frank C. Mockler (acting) (1909–1993) |
October 14, 1974 | February 6, 1975 |
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rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color" | | Earl B. Ruth (1916–1989) |
February 6, 1975 | September 30, 1976 |
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rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color" | | Frank Barnett (1933–2016) |
October 1, 1976 | May 27, 1977 |
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rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color" | | Hyrum Rex Lee (1910–2001) |
May 28, 1977 | January 3, 1978 |
Elected governors (1978–present)
Governor | Took office | Left office | Party | Elected | Lieutenant Governor | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
51 | ![]() |
Peter Tali Coleman (1919–1997) |
January 3, 1978 – January 3, 1985 |
Republican | 1977 1980 |
Tufele Liamatua | ||
52 | ![]() |
A. P. Lutali (1919–2002) |
January 3, 1985 – January 2, 1989 |
Democratic | 1984 | Eni Faleomavaega | ||
53 | ![]() |
Peter Tali Coleman (1919–1997) |
January 2, 1989 – January 3, 1993 |
Republican | 1988 | Galea'i Peni Poumele | ||
Gaioi Tufele Galeai | ||||||||
54 | ![]() |
A. P. Lutali (1919–2002) |
January 3, 1993 – January 3, 1997 |
Democratic | 1992 | Tauese Sunia | ||
55 | ![]() |
Tauese Sunia (1941–2003) |
January 3, 1997 – March 26, 2003 |
Democratic | 1996 2000 |
Togiola Tulafono | ||
– | ![]() |
Togiola Tulafono (born 1947) |
March 26, 2003 – April 7, 2003 |
Democratic | 2004 2008 |
Vacant | ||
56 | April 7, 2003 – January 3, 2013 |
Faoa Aitofele Sunia | ||||||
57 | ![]() |
Lolo Matalasi Moliga (born 1949) |
January 3, 2013 – Incumbent |
Independent | 2012 2016 |
Lemanu Peleti Mauga | ||
Democratic |
Living former governors
There is one living former governor of American Samoa. The most recent-serving governor to die was Frank Barnett (1976–1977), on July 15, 2016.[1]
Name | Gubernatorial term | Date of birth |
---|---|---|
Togiola Tulafono | 2003–2013 | February 28, 1947 |
Latest election
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.
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 |
References
- ^ "Frank Barnett, former governor of American Samoa, dies". www.knoxnews.com. Retrieved 2016-07-18.