Edward Diego "Eddie" Reyes (January 24, 1930 – April 14, 2018) was a Guamanian politician and retired

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

. Reyes served as the 4th

Lieutenant Governor of Guam The Guamanian self-governing government consists of a locally elected governor, lieutenant governor and a fifteen-member Legislature. The first popular election for governor and lieutenant governor took place in 1970. The current lieutenant gov ...

from January 3, 1983, to January 5, 1987, under

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Ricardo Bordallo Ricardo Jerome "Ricky" Bordallo (; – ) was an American (U.S. citizen) politician, businessman, and serving two terms as the 2nd and 4th Governor of Guam with Lieutenant Governor Rudy Sablan from 1975 to 1979, and with Lieutenant Governor Edw ...

, having been elected in 1982 as Bordallo's

running mate A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint Ticket (election), ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position (such as the vice presidential candidate ...

Early life

He was born on January 24, 1930, to his parents Juan Reyes and Ana Guevara.

Political career

1978 Borallo-Reyes Campaign

In 1978, incumbent

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

Governor

, a Democrat, lost re-election to Republican

Paul McDonald Calvo Paul McDonald Calvo (born July 25, 1934) is a Guamanian politician who served as the 3rd Governor of Guam from 1979 to 1983. Before his accession to the governorship, Calvo served as the Guam Legislature from 1971 to 1975. He is a member of the Re ...

. Four years later, Bordallo, who planned a political comeback, once again announced his candidacy for Governor. Bordallo chose U.S. Air Force Colonel Edward Diego Reyes, a political unknown with no previous experience in elected office as his running mate. Reyes, a

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

veteran with several awards and honors, retired from the U.S. Air Force following a 28-year career in order to enter the race with Bordallo.

1982 Borallo-Reyes Campaign

Bordallo and Reyes were challenged in the 1982 Democratic gubernatorial primary by Bordallo's former Lt. Governor Rudy Sablan and his running mate, Joe Leon Guerrero. However, Bordallo-Reyes easily defeated Sablan in the

primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

by 35 percent. Bordallo and Reyes' campaign utilized the "People First" slogan in the general election campaign against Governor Paul McDonald Calvo. The Bordallo-Reyes defeated incumbent Governor Calvo and his running mate, Peter F. Perez Jr., in the 1982 general election. Bordallo won the race 1,402 votes (approximately 5%) out 28,996 votes cast. Bordallo and Reyes were sworn in as Governor and Lt. Governor on January 3, 1983.

1986 Borallo-Reyes Campaign

Bordallo and Reyes sought re-election to a second term in 1986. However, Governor Bordallo was indicted in September 1986 on eleven counts of corruption. Lt. Governor Reyes, who continued to support Bordallo as his running mate, was not implicated in the scandal and emerged from it with his reputation unscathed. However, the chances that Bordallo-Reyes ticket would be re-elected were severely diminished by Bordallo's indictment. Bordallo-Reyes lost re-election to Republican

Joseph Franklin Ada Joseph Franklin Ada (born December 3, 1943), better known as Joseph F. Ada, is an American (U.S. citizen) politician who served as the 5th Governor of Guam from 1987 to 1995. Before his accession to the governorship, Ada previously served as the 3 ...

and his running mate,

Frank Blas Frank Flores Blas Sr. (March 20, 1941 – August 1, 2016) was a Guamanian politician, businessman and member of the Republican Party of Guam. Blas served as the 5th Lieutenant Governor of Guam from January 5, 1987 until January 2, 1995 for two ...

, in the general election on November 4, 1986. Ada defeated Governor Bordallo by 2,581 votes (7.6%).

Guam Legislature

Reyes served in the 20th and the 22nd Guam Legislatures.

1994 Reyes-Nelson Campaign

In 1994, Reyes unsuccessfully ran for Governor of Guam, choosing

Gloria Nelson Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkins) ...

as his running mate for Lt. Governor.

Personal life and death

Reyes was married to Guadalupe "Lupe" Cruz and has four children (Johnny, Paul, Barbara and Lauren). Reyes died on April 14, 2018, in a hospital in

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...

.Former Lt. Gov. Edward "Eddie' Diego dies
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References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Reyes, Edward Diego 1930 births 2018 deaths 20th-century American politicians Chamorro people Guamanian Democrats Guamanian military personnel Lieutenant Governors of Guam Members of the Legislature of Guam People from Hagåtña, Guam United States Air Force colonels United States Air Force personnel of the Vietnam War