Tui Ātua Tupua Tamasese Lealofi IV (8 May 1922 – 9 July 1983) was the second prime minister of Samoa from 25 February 1970 to 20 March 1973 and again from 21 May 1975 to 24 March 1976. He held the title of

Tupua Tamasese Tupua (known as Tupua Tamasese) is a state dynasty and one of the four paramount chiefly titles of Samoa, known as the Tama-a-Aiga or 'Sons of the Great Families'). It is the titular head of one of Samoa's two great royal families - Sā Tupua, the ...

, one of the four main chiefly titles of Samoa (the Tama-a-Aiga) from 1965 until his death in 1983.

Biography

Lealofi was born in Apia in May 1922, the eldest son of

Mau movement The Mau was a non-violent movement for Samoan independence from colonial rule during the first half of the 20th century. ''Mau'' means ‘resolute’ or ‘resolved’ in the sense of ‘opinion’, ‘unwavering’, ‘to be decided’, or ...

leader

Tupua Tamasese Lealofi III Tupua Tamasese Lealofi-o-ā'ana III (4 May 1901 – 29 December 1929) was a paramount chief of Samoa, holder of the Tupua Tamasese dynastic title and became the leader of the country's pro-independence Mau movement from early 1928 until his assa ...

, who was killed by New Zealand Police in 1929.Tupua Tamases Lealofi IV
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', September 1983, p65 After studying at the Marist Brothers school and Malifa high school, he attended the

Fiji School of Medicine The Fiji School of Medicine is a tertiary institution based in Suva, Fiji. Originally established in 1885 as the ''Suva Medical School''. FSM became the College of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences as part of Fiji National University in 2010. ...

between 1940 and 1945, qualifying as a medical practitioner. He then worked as a doctor for the Health Department. In 1965 he became Tupua Tamasese following the death of his uncle Tupua Tamasese Meaʻole. This entitled him to become a member of the

Council of Deputies The Council of Deputies ( sm, Sui O Le Fono a Sui Tofia) is a constitutional body in Samoa. Its members serve as Deputy O le Ao o le Malo and act as head of state when the O le Ao o le Malo is unable to fulfill their duties due to absence or in ...

, to which he was elected in 1968. In 1970 he resigned from the Council of Deputies to contest

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative ...

to the Legislative Assembly, and was elected in the Anoamaa East constituency. Following the elections, he was elected Prime Minister, defeating incumbent Fiame Mata'afa in the third round of voting.(1) It's a vital, young cabinet
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', April 1970, pp50–51 However, following the 1973 elections he was eliminated in the first round of voting for Prime Minister, and was succeeded by Mata'afa. Mata'afa subsequently appointed him as

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

. Mata'afa died in 1975 and Lealofi was appointed by then Head of State,

Malietoa Tanumafili II Malietoa Tanumafili II (4 January 1913 – 11 May 2007), addressed Susuga Malietoa Tanumafili II, was the Malietoa, the title of one of Samoa's four paramount chiefs, and the head of state, or '' O le Ao o le Malo'', a position that he held f ...

, as his replacement. Following the 1976 elections he was defeated in the vote for Prime Minister by his cousin, Tupuola Efi. He subsequently resigned from the Legislative Assembly and was elected to the Council of Deputies again.Tupuola Efi dispels a myth and upsets a Samoan tradition
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', May 1976, pp29–30 Lealofi died in Matautu on Upolu Island in July 1983 at the age of 61.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lealofi, Tupua 1922 births People from Apia Fiji School of Medicine alumni Samoan physicians Samoan chiefs Members of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa Prime Ministers of Samoa Government ministers of Samoa Members of the Council of Deputies 1983 deaths 20th-century physicians