Eulogio "Eloy" Songao Inos (September 26, 1949 – December 28, 2015) was a Northern Marianan politician who served as the eighth governor of the Northern Mariana Islands from 2013 to 2015. Inos, a member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa * Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...

, also served as the eighth

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

from 2009 to 2013. He was nominated as Lieutenant Governor by

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 ...

Benigno Fitial to fill the vacancy caused by the

resignation Resignation is the formal act of leaving or quitting one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or choos ...

of Lieutenant Governor Timothy Villagomez. Villagomez was

convicted In law, a conviction is the verdict reached by a court of law finding a defendant guilty of a crime. The opposite of a conviction is an acquittal (that is, "not guilty"). In Scotland, there can also be a verdict of " not proven", which is co ...

on federal

fraud In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain, or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compen ...

charges. Inos was confirmed by the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and was sworn into the Lieutenant Governor office on May 1, 2009. He was elected to a full term as Lieutenant Governor in November 2009. Inos became governor on February 20, 2013, following the resignation of Benigno Fitial, after he was impeached by the

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air cond ...

for fraud-related activities. Inos was elected to a full-term as governor in the 2014 gubernatorial election. Inos

died in office A death in office is the death of a person who was incumbent of an office-position until the time of death. Such deaths have been usually due to natural causes, but they are also caused by accidents, suicides, disease and assassinations. The death ...

on December 28, 2015, local time, in

Seattle, Washington 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 region ...

, at the age of 66.

Biography

Personal life

Eloy Inos attended Mount Carmel School on

Saipan Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States in the western Pa ...

, graduating there from high school in May 1967. Inos obtained 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 si ...

accounting Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the measurement, processing, and communication of financial and non financial information about economic entities such as businesses and corporations. Accounting, which has been called the "languag ...

(

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

) from the

University of Guam University of Guam ( ch, Unibetsedåt Guåhan) (U.O.G.) is a public land-grant university in Mangilao, Guam. It is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and offers thirty-four degree programs at the undergraduate level a ...

in May 1981. He also studied business administration while at the University of Guam. Inos has five children. He was the

brother-in-law A sibling-in-law is the spouse of one's sibling, or the sibling of one's spouse, or the person who is married to the sibling of one's spouse.Cambridge Dictionaries Online.Family: non-blood relations. More commonly, a sibling-in-law is referre ...

of the late Education Commissioner Rita Inos.

Career

Inos worked as a tax

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activitie ...

for the now defunct

Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) was a United Nations trust territory in Micronesia administered by the United States from 1947 to 1994. History Spain initially claimed the islands that later composed the territory of the Trus ...

revenue In accounting, revenue is the total amount of income generated by the sale of goods and services related to the primary operations of the business. Commercial revenue may also be referred to as sales or as turnover. Some companies receive rev ...

division. Inos was also a former Vice President of the

Tan Holdings Corporation Tan Holdings Corporation is a holding company with operations on Guam, USA, in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), which is also a territory of the United States, in the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, and more recent ...

, one of the largest

garment 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 garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natural ...

manufacturers Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to ...

in the Northern Mariana Islands. He was elected to the First Saipan and Northern Islands Municipal Council, including a stint as council chairman, from 1990 until 1992. Inos was appointed the Secretary of Finance in the Fitial administration. As Secretary Inos oversaw the financial affairs of the Northern Mariana Islands' government, including

taxation A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, o ...

treasury A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be state or royal property, church treasure or i ...

, electronic data processing,

procurement Procurement is the method of discovering and agreeing to terms and purchasing goods, services, or other works from an external source, often with the use of a tendering or competitive bidding process. When a government agency buys goods or s ...

and

customs Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...

. Inos became Secretary on January 9, 2006, and held the post until May 1, 2009.

Lieutenant Governor

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Timothy Villagomez, who had held office since 2006, issued his resignation on April 24, 2009 following his

conviction In law, a conviction is the verdict reached by a court of law finding a defendant guilty of a crime. The opposite of a conviction is an acquittal (that is, "not guilty"). In Scotland, there can also be a verdict of " not proven", which is cons ...

on federal

charges. Villagomez became the highest ranking CNMI official ever convicted at the time. According to Article III, Section 3 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, when a vacancy is created for Lieutenant Governor, the

must appoint a replacement with the

confirmation In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...

of the Northern Mariana Islands Senate. On April 27, 2009, Governor Fitial nominated Inos, the then Secretary of Finance in his administration, as the new Lieutenant Governor to serve for the rest of Villagomez's original term in office. Fitial and Inos had first met years earlier while both were working for the government of the

. Inos was unanimously confirmed by all nine members of the Senate in a vote on May 1, 2009. More than a dozen community and political leaders had offered testimony in support of Inos'

during the hearing, with no opposition by any of the 20 House members. Inos had noted the difficulties of replacing his predecessor during the confirmation hearing, "It’s a very difficult situation. would have liked to go ahead and fill the position through the normal election process but again the situation presents itself. We have to fill the vacancy. It’s a

constitutional A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these prin ...

mandate Mandate most often refers to: * League of Nations mandates, quasi-colonial territories established under Article 22 of the Covenant of the League of Nations, 28 June 1919 * Mandate (politics), the power granted by an electorate Mandate may also r ...

. I am very happy that I have an overwhelming support from the people." Governor Fitial swore Inos into office shortly after the conclusion of the Senate's confirmation vote. In taking office through appointment, Inos became the first un-elected Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands in history. On July 23, 2009, Governor Fitial and Lt. Governor Inos filed to run for re-election with the Election Commission. Fitial won re-election, and Inos was elected to a full term, in a gubernatorial runoff election held on November 23, 2009, defeating Republican Heinz Hofschneider. He was originally scheduled to serve as Lt. Governor for a five-year term, instead of the unusual four years due to changes in the election calendar.

Governor

Inos became governor on February 20, 2013, following the resignation of Benigno Fitial. Fitial was impeached by the House, for multiple counts, related to the commission of felonies, corruption and to neglect of duty, but resigned before his trial before the

. Inos won election to a full four-year term in the 2014 gubernatorial election.

Death

Governor Eloy Inos,

at the age of 66 while recovering from

open heart surgery Cardiac surgery, or cardiovascular surgery, is surgery on the heart or great vessels performed by cardiac surgeons. It is often used to treat complications of ischemic heart disease (for example, with coronary artery bypass grafting); to c ...

, on Monday afternoon, December 28, 2015,

Pacific Standard Time The Pacific Time Zone (PT) is a time zone encompassing parts of western Canada, the western United States, and western Mexico. Places in this zone observe standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time ( UTC−08:00 ...

(corresponding to 9:45 a.m. Tuesday morning, December 29, Chamorro Standard Time in the Northern Mariana Islands). Inos, who also suffered from diabetes, had been hospitalised in Seattle since November 2015 for treatment. Inos' Lieutenant Governor,

Ralph Torres Ralph Deleon Guerrero Torres (born August 6, 1979) is a Northern Marianan politician currently serving as the ninth governor of the Northern Mariana Islands since December 29, 2015. He is a Republican from Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern M ...

, was sworn in as Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands on December 29, 2015. President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

called Inos a "tireless advocate". Funeral services for Inos were held on January 12, 2016, which the Governor of neighboring Guam,

Eddie Calvo Edward Jerome Baza Calvo (born August 29, 1961) is an American (U.S. citizen) politician who served as the 8th Governor of Guam from January 3, 2011 to January 7, 2019. A member of the Republican Party, Calvo was a five-term Senator within the ...

, proclaimed as a day of mourning.

References

External links

Lt. Governor Eloy Inos official biography
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Inos, Eloy 1949 births 2015 deaths Cabinet secretaries of the Northern Mariana Islands Chamorro people Covenant Party (Northern Mariana Islands) politicians Deaths from cancer in Washington (state) Governors of the Northern Mariana Islands Lieutenant Governors of the Northern Mariana Islands Northern Mariana Islands businesspeople Republican Party (Northern Mariana Islands) politicians Republican Party governors of the Northern Mariana Islands Saipan and Northern Islands Municipal Council members University of Guam alumni