List of governors of American Samoa

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

Commandant governors (1900–1905)

Term Image Incumbent Notes
17 February 1900 — 27 November 1901 Benjamin Franklin Tilley, Commandant 17 April 1900: Treaty of Cession of Tutuila
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: Treaty of Cession of Manu'a
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
  Phelps Phelps
(1897–1981)
February 23, 1951 June 20, 1952
  John C. Elliott
(1919–2001)
July 16, 1952 November 23, 1952
  James Arthur Ewing
(born 1916)
November 28, 1952 March 4, 1953
  Lawrence M. Judd
(1887–1968)
March 4, 1953 August 5, 1953
  Richard Barrett Lowe
(1902–1972)
August 5, 1953 October 15, 1956
  Peter Tali Coleman
(1919–1997)
October 13, 1956 May 24, 1961
  Hyrum Rex Lee
(1910–2001)
May 24, 1961 July 31, 1967
  Owen Stuart Aspinall
(1927–1997)
August 1, 1967 July 31, 1969
  John Morse Haydon
(1920–1991)
August 1, 1969 October 14, 1974
  Frank C. Mockler
(acting)
(1909–1993)
October 14, 1974 February 6, 1975
  Earl B. Ruth
(1916–1989)
February 6, 1975 September 30, 1976
  Frank Barnett
(1933–2016)
October 1, 1976 May 27, 1977
  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 1947)
January 3, 2013

January 3, 2021
Independent 2012
2016
Lemanu Peleti Mauga
Democratic
58   Lemanu Peleti Mauga
(born 1949/1950)
January 3, 2021

Incumbent
Democratic 2020 Eleasalo Ale

Living former governors

There are two 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 (1947-02-28) February 28, 1947 (age 77)
Lolo Matalasi Moliga 2013–2021 (1947-08-12) August 12, 1947 (age 77)

References

  1. "Frank Barnett, former governor of American Samoa, dies". www.knoxnews.com. Retrieved 2016-07-18.