Tupua Tamasese Meaʻole (3 June 1905 – 5 April 1963) was a Western Samoan paramount chief. He held the royal title of

Tupua Tamasese Tupua Tamasese, formally known as Tupua, is a State (polity), state dynasty and one of the four paramount Fa'amatai, chiefly titles of Samoa, known as the ''Tamaʻāiga, tama a ʻāiga''. It is the titular head of one of Samoa's two ...

from 1929 to 1963, and O le Ao o le Malo (Head of State) jointly with Malietoa Tanumafili II from 1962 until his death the following year.

Biography

Samoan high chiefs welcomed to Christchurch

He was born in Vaimoso in 1905, one of three sons of the paramount chief Tupua Tamasese Lealofi I. He was educated at the Marist school in

Apia Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga. The Apia Urban A ...

.Tamasese: Architect of West Samoan Independence
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', May 1963, pp. 41–47 In 1929, he was installed as Tupua Tamasese when his elder brother and Mau leader,

Tupua Tamasese Lealofi III Tupua Tamasese Lealofi-o-ā'ana III (4 May 1901 – 29 December 1929) was a Fa'amatai, 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 unt ...

was assassinated by colonial police during a Mau parade in Apia. He married Noue in 1934, a daughter of Olaf Frederick Nelson. The couple had four children; two daughters and two sons. In 1936, he was appointed to the Legislative Council, and in 1938 he was appointed as one of the ''Fautua'' (advisor to the Administrator). In the same year he became president of the Mau. As a ''Fautua'', he continued to serve in the Legislative Council and its successor, the Legislative Assembly until 1957. He was a member of the Council of State and the Executive Council until 1959. Away from politics, Tamasese was involved in business, serving as chair of the board of the Western Samoa Trust Estates Corporation, a director of the Bank of Western Samoa and a member of the Copra Board. In 1953, he attended the

coronation of Elizabeth II The Coronation of the British monarch, coronation of Elizabeth II as queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London. Elizabeth acceded to the throne at the age of 25 upon th ...

in London and was awarded the

Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal () is a commemorative medal instituted to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953. Award This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir from the Queen to members of the Royal Family ...

. In the 1957 New Year Honours he was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

. In preparations for independence, Tamasese chaired the constitutional conventions of 1954 and 1960. When Western Samoa attained independence in 1962, the new constitution made Tupua Tamasese and Malietoa Tanumafili II (the two Fautua) joint heads of state. Upon Tamasese's death in April 1963, Malietoa continued to serve as sole head of state, whilst the title of

was passed to his eldest nephew,

Tupua Tamasese Lealofi IV 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, one of the four main ...

, who would go on to become the second Prime Minister of Samoa.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meaole, Tupua Tamasese 1905 births Members of the Legislative Council of Samoa Members of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa Commanders of the Order of the British Empire O le Ao o le Malo of Samoa 1963 deaths People from Tuamasaga