Susana Leiato Lutali, also spelled Susana Le'iato Lutali, (May 23, 1932 – June 15, 2012) was an American Samoan educator and politician. She served as the

First Lady of American Samoa The First Lady of American Samoa is the title attributed to the wife of the governor of American Samoa. To date, there have been no first gentlemen of American Samoa. The current first lady is Ella Mauga, wife of Governor Lemanu Peleti Mauga, who ...

from 1985 to 1989 and 1993 until 1997 during the tenure of her husband, former

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 ...

A. P. Lutali Aifili Paulo Lauvao (December 24, 1919 – August 1, 2002), was twice governor of American Samoa (1985–1989, 1993–1997). The founder of the U.S territory's Democratic Party, he had a long career in the legislature and the judiciary in Amer ...

. She held the matai title of Maeata'anoa from her home village of Fagaʻitua. Lutlai was known for her

beautification Beautification is the process of making visual improvements to a town, city, or urban area. This most often involves planting trees, shrubbery, and other greenery, but frequently also includes adding decorative or historic-style street lights and ...

and

landscaping Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including the following: # Living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly called gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal o ...

initiatives along

public roads A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-access ...

across

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 International ...

during her two tenures as first lady. Many of the roadside, ornamental

trees In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are u ...

, bushes and shrubs which still line major streets in American Samoa were planted by Lutali and her public beautification programs.

Biography

Lutali was born on May 23, 1932, in Fagaʻitua,

, to Taetuli So’oma’ali’i Tupua Le'iato and Anasitasia Lauatua'a Malepeai. She became a teacher at Fagaʻitua Elemenatary School. She married her husband,

, a public

school administrator A head master, head instructor, bureaucrat, headmistress, head, chancellor, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school. In som ...

, on April 2, 1954. Susana Leiato Lutali served as the First Lady of American Samoa during her husband's gubernatorial terms from 1985 to 1989 and again 1993 until 1997. As first lady, Lutali spearheaded numerous

programs along public roadsides across American Samoa. Lutali created committees of women who planted new trees and

shrubs A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

. Many of the same ornamental trees and bushes originally planted by First Lady Lutali and her initiatives are still found along roads and streets throughout the territory. Lutali also became known for her

puletasi The puletasi (Samoa) or puletaha (Tonga) is a traditional item of clothing Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included ...

s, a traditional outfit worn by Samoan women, which she almost always wore as first lady. In the 2004 general election, Lutali was a candidate for the American Samoa House of Representatives in the District #5's (Sua No. 1), which includes the villages of Amaua,

Auto Auto may refer to: * An automaton * An automobile * An autonomous car * An automatic transmission * An auto rickshaw * Short for automatic * Auto (art), a form of Portuguese dramatic play * ''Auto'' (film), 2007 Tamil comedy film * Auto (play), ...

Alega Alega ( sm, Ālega) is a village on the southeast coast of Tutuila Island, American Samoa. One of the island's least populous villages, it is located to the east of Pago Pago Harbor and to the west of Faga'itua Bay. Alega lies between Lauli'i, A ...

, Avaio, Aumi, Fagaʻitua, and Lauli'i. However, she was not elected. Lutali was diagnosed with inoperable

uterine cancer Uterine cancer, also known as womb cancer, includes two types of cancer that develop from the tissues of the uterus. Endometrial cancer forms from the lining of the uterus, and uterine sarcoma forms from the muscles or support tissue of the uteru ...

in 2011. She died from the illness at her home in

'Ili'ili Iliili is a village in the southwest of Tutuila Island, American Samoa. It is located seven miles inland, southwest of Pago Pago, between the villages of Futiga and Vaitogi. It is in Tuālāuta County. Iliili is home to American Samoa's only golf ...

Tuālāuta County Tuālāuta County is a county in the Western District in American Samoa. It is the largest and also the most populated county in American Samoa. The county is represented by two seats in the Senate and two seats in House of Representatives in the ...

, American Samoa, on June 15, 2012, at the age of 80. (''

Samoa News The ''Samoa News'' is a newspaper published in Pago Pago, American Samoa. In 1981, Samoa News was the major newspaper distributed in both of the Samoas. In January 1985, Lewis Wolman became editor of Samoa News. The Samoa News Ltd. was established ...

'' originally reported that she died at

LBJ Tropical Medical Center Lyndon B. Johnson Tropical Medical Center is the only hospital in American Samoa, and is located in Faga'alu, Maoputasi County. It has been ranked among the best hospitals in the Pacific Ocean. It is home to an emergency room and there are docto ...

in Fagaʻalu.) She was survived by eight of her nine children, as well as her grandchildren. Her funeral was held at St. Paul's Catholic Church in 'Ili'ili. Susana Leiato Lutali was buried next to her husband, the late Governor A.P. Lutali, at her family compound in 'Ili'ili on June 29, 2012.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lutali, Susana Leiato 1932 births 2012 deaths First ladies of American Samoa American Samoan women in politics American Samoan educators People from Eastern District, American Samoa People from Western District, American Samoa American Samoan Roman Catholics