Lolo Letalu Matalasi (born August 12, 1947) is an
American Samoa
American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the Internationa ...
n politician, educator, and businessman.
He served as the 7th
Governor of American Samoa, from 2013 to 2021.
Early life and education
Moliga was born in
Taʻū
Taʻū is the largest island in the Manuʻa Islands and the easternmost volcanic island of the Samoan Islands. Taū is part of American Samoa. In the early 19th century, the island was sometimes called ''Opoun''.
Taū is well known as the site ...
,
Manu'a,
American Samoa
American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the Internationa ...
. His father was High Chief Moliga Sa'ena Aunuua Moliga, who was from Ta'u. His mother, Soali’i Galea’i, was a native of both
Fitiuta and
Olosega
Ofu and Olosega are parts of a volcanic doublet in the Manuʻa Islands, which is a part of American Samoa in the Samoan Islands. These twin islands, formed from shield volcanoes, have a combined length of 6 km and a combined area of . Together, ...
. He attended Papatea Junior Elementary and attended
before graduating from Manu'a High School. Moliga holds a
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in education from
Chadron State College
Chadron State College is a public college in Chadron, Nebraska, US. It is one of three public colleges in the Nebraska State College System. It has open admission and an acceptance rate of 100%. According to College Factual, it has a six-year g ...
in
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...
. He received a master's degree in
public administration
Public Administration (a form of governance) or Public Policy and Administration (an academic discipline) is the implementation of public policy, administration of government establishment (public governance), management of non-profit est ...
from
San Diego State University
San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...
on July 30, 2012.
Career
Moliga began his career as a teacher.
[ He then became an elementary school principal before becoming the principal of Manu'a High School in the Manu'a Islands.][ He would later become an elementary and secondary education administrator within the American Samoan Department of Education.][ He also served as director of the ASG Budget Office, as well as American Samoa's chief procurement officer for two terms.][ Outside of public office, Moliga owns a construction firm.][
]
Politics
Moliga was elected to the American Samoa House of Representatives for four terms.[ He later became a Senator within the ]American Samoa Senate
The American Samoa Senate is the upper house of the American Samoa Fono. The Senate, like the lower House of Representatives, is a nonpartisan body. It is composed of 18 senators, serving a four-year term.
History
American Samoa became a Unit ...
, where he served as the body's senate president from 2005 until 2008.[ Moliga, while still a member of the Senate, considered a candidacy in the 2008 gubernatorial election, but withdrew from the race before announcing a potential running mate citing existing commitments.][
Moliga was appointed as president of the Development Bank of American Samoa by Governor ]Togiola Tulafono
Togiola Talalelei A. Tulafono (born February 28, 1947) is an American Samoan politician and lawyer who served as the 6th Governor of American Samoa. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He had previously served as lieutenant governor, taking t ...
and confirmed by the Senate.[
]
2012 gubernatorial election
In October 2011, Moliga became the second candidate to declare his intention to run in the 2012 gubernatorial election.[ He chose Senator ]Lemanu Peleti Mauga
Lemanu Palepoi Sialegā Mauga (born January 1, 1949) is an American Samoan politician and the 8th governor of American Samoa since January 3, 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Mauga served as a senator in the American Samoa Senate, where he ...
as his running mate for Lieutenant Governor of American Samoa.[ Mauga, a retired member of the U.S. Army, served as the chairman of both the Budget and Appropriations Committee and the Senate Homeland Security Committee in the American Samoan Senate.][
Moliga resigned as the president of the Development Bank of American Samoa (DBAS) to focus on his gubernatorial campaign.][
Moliga faced five other candidates in the 2012 gubernatorial election on November 6, 2012] and received the most votes, but not more than the 50% required to win. The runoff was held November 20, 2012, resulting in Moliga defeating Lieutenant Governor Faoa Aitofele Sunia.
2016 gubernatorial election
Moliga won re-election on November 8, 2016 with 60.2% of the vote, defeating Faoa Aitofele Sunia and Tuika Tuika Tuika Tuika is an American Samoan politician and former member of the American Samoa Fono.
Tuika has worked as an accountant in the Territorial Audit Office and Tax office, as a teacher at the American Samoa Community College, and as a political s ...
.
COVID-19 pandemic
On March 16, 2020, Moliga went into voluntary self-isolation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. Moliga had previously traveled to Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
and Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...
, which had experienced cases of COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
.
Democratic National Convention
The United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national sec ...
is investigating two masked, uniformed soldiers who joined Moliga when he appeared online during the 2020 Democratic National Convention
The 2020 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention that was held from August 17 to 20, 2020, at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and virtually across the United States. At the convention, delegates of ...
because uniformed soldiers are not permitted to participate in partisan events.
See also
* List of current United States governors
The following is a list of current governors (or mayor) of U.S. states, territories, and the federal district. In the United States, a governor is the chief executive officer of a state or a territory. As of November 2022, there are 28&n ...
References
External links
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Moliga, Lolo Letalu Matalasi
1947 births
21st-century American politicians
American Samoa Democrats
American Samoa Senators
American Samoan businesspeople
American Samoan politicians
American people of Samoan descent
Chadron State College alumni
Democratic Party governors of American Samoa
Governors of American Samoa
Living people
Members of the American Samoa House of Representatives
San Diego State University alumni