Gov. A.P. Lutali

About

A.P. LUTALI was born at Aunu’u Island, American Samoa. He advanced from a teaching career in education into public service with American Samoa’s judicial, legislative and executive branches. He was instrumental in establishing the Territory’s first high school, Samoana, in 1946. He also chaired the first American Samoa Board of Higher Education that created the American Samoa Community College in 1974. He was admitted to practice in the High Court of American Samoa in 1954 and in 1972 was one of the founding members of the American Samoa Bar Association. He was elected to the American Samoan House of Representatives in 1955 and served as speaker of the House for three years. A.P. Lutali was a Saole County signee of American Samoa’s first Constitution in 1960. He later chaired the 1966 Constitutional Convention that amended the 1960 Constitution into the current 1967 Revised Constitution of American Samoa.

In 1977 he was selected to serve in the American Samoa Senate and became president during his first year. He was also the delegate-at-large to Washington, D.C. from 1975-1979. He was first elected as Governor of American Samoa in November 1984 and served from 1985-88. During his first administration, many improvements in telecommunications, economic development, human services and recreation and parks were made. He afterwards returned to the American Samoan Senate in 1989, chairing the Committee on Government Operations. He was then re-elected as governor of American Samoa in 1992 and served from 1993-1996. His later accomplishments include development of marine and wildlife resources, the American Samoa Power Authority and, the establishment of the National Park of American Samoa. Governor Lutali died on August 1, 2002 and was survived by his wife Susana, children and relatives.