List of governors of American Samoa

American Samoa

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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 1904 to 1980 they were appointed by the United States government. Since that time they have been elected for 4-year terms by the people of American Samoa.

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
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
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
3 January 1978 to 3 January 1985 Peter Tali Coleman, Governor 2nd and 3rd Terms; Republican
3 January 1985 to 2 January 1989 A.P. Lutali, Governor 1st Term; Democrat
2 January 1989 to 3 January 1993 Peter Tali Coleman, Governor 4th Term; Republican
3 January 1993 to 3 January 1997 A.P. Lutali, Governor 2nd Term; Democrat
3 January 1997 to 26 March 2003 Tauese P. Sunia, Governor Democrat
26 March 2003 to 7 April 2003 Togiola Tulafono, acting Governor Democrat
7 April 2003 to present Togiola Tulafono, Governor Democrat

Latest election

American Samoa gubernatorial election, 2008[1][2]
Candidate Running mate Political Party First round Second round
Votes Percentage Votes Percentage
Togiola Tulafono (incumbent) Ipulasi Aitofele Sunia (inc.) Democratic 5,117 41.24% 6,590 56.45%
Utu Abe Malae Nua Mailo Saoluaga Libertarian 3,881 31.28% 5,084 43.55%
Afoa Moega Lutu Velega Savali Samoa Reunification Party 3,347 26.97%
Tuika Tuika Tee Masaniai Socialist Workers 63 0.51%
Invalid or blank votes
Totals 12,408 100.00% 11,674 100.00%
Voter turnout

References