{{Short description|President of the Marshall Islands from 2012 to 2016}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = His Highness<br>His Excellency | name = Iroijlaplap Christopher Loeak | image = Christopher Loeak portrait.PNG | order = 6th | office = President of the Marshall Islands | term_start = 10 January 2012 | term_end = 11 January 2016 | predecessor = Jurelang Zedkaia | successor = Casten Nemra | office2 = Iroijlaplap of Ailinglaplap | term_start2 = 4 September 2021{{citation needed|date=August 2025}} | term_end2 = 8 August 2025 | predecessor2 = Kotak Litokwa Loeak | successor2 = ''Vacant'' | office3 = Minister in Assistance to the President | term_start3 = January 2020 | term_end3 = January 2024 | president3 = David Kabua | predecessor3 = David Paul | successor3 = Bremity Lakjohn | term_start4 = January 2008 | term_end4 = September 2009 | president4 = Litokwa Tomeing | predecessor4 = Tadashi Lometo | successor4 = Ruben Zackhras | term_start5 = 1999 | term_end5 = January 2000 | president5 = Imata Kabua | predecessor5 = Johnsay Riklon | successor5 = Gerald Zackios | birth_name = Christopher Jorebon Loeak | birth_date = {{birth date|1952|11|11|df=y}} | birth_place = Ailinglaplap Atoll, Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands | death_date = {{death date and age|2025|8|8|1952|11|11|df=y}} | death_place = Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. | party = Independent | spouse = Lieom Anono Loeak | children = 3 | alma_mater = Hawaii Pacific University<br />Gonzaga University School of Law <small>(J.D.)</small> | caption = Loeak in 2012 }}
'''Iroijlaplap Christopher Jorebon Loeak''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|ɔɪ|ˌ|æ|k}} (<!--Marshallese pronunciation: {{IPAc1-mh|}}; -->11 November 1952 – 8 August 2025) was a Marshallese politician who was the President of the Marshall Islands from 2012 to 2016. He was elected by parliament as President in January 2012, following the 2011 general election.<ref name="yokwe">{{Cite web |title=Marshall Islands' Parliament Elects New National Leadership |url=http://www.yokwe.net/index.php?module=News&func=display&sid=2946 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224035430/http://www.yokwe.net/index.php?module=News&func=display&sid=2946 |archive-date=24 February 2012 |access-date=3 January 2012}}</ref><ref name=rnz/>
==Background== Loeak was born on the Ailinglaplap Atoll on 11 November 1952.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pacificdigitallibrary.org/cgi-bin/pdl?e=d-000off-pdl--00-2--0--010---4-------0-1l--10en-50---20-text---00-3-1-00bySR-0-0-000utfZz-8-00&a=d&cl=CL1.8&d=HASH01a1064060bc9b6f51af8478.9|title = Nitijela of the Marshall Island: 7}}</ref> He attended Marshall Islands High School before traveling to the United States to study at the Hawaii Pacific College and Gonzaga University School of Law. Loeak was a native speaker of Marshallese and also spoke English. He was married to Anono Lieom Loeak and had three children, along with eight grandchildren.<ref name=bio>{{cite web|title=The Honorable Minister Christopher J. Loeak|url=http://marshall.wetserver.net/livefiles/christopherjloeak_aboutdownloads_18.pdf|publisher=Office of the president of the Republic of the Marshall Islands|access-date=3 January 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227140552/http://marshall.wetserver.net/livefiles/christopherjloeak_aboutdownloads_18.pdf|archive-date=27 February 2012}}</ref>
Loeak died in Honolulu under medical care on 8 August 2025, at the age of 72.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Takeuchi |first=Floyd K. |date=15 August 2025 |title=Farewell to Iroojlaplap Christopher Jorebon Loeak |url=https://marshallislandsjournal.com/farewell-to-iroojlaplap-christopher-jorebon-loeak/ |access-date=27 August 2025 |website=The Marshall Islands Journal}}</ref>
==Political career== Loeak was first elected to the ''Nitijela'' in 1985 when he represented the Ailinglaplap Atoll.<ref name=yokwe/> He served in the cabinet of President Amata Kabua as Minister of Justice from 1988 to 1992. He became Minister of Social Services in 1992 and held that post until 1996 when Kunio Lemari became acting president on the death of Kabua and Loeak became Minister of Education. He held the education portfolio for two years, continuing his cabinet work under President Imata Kabua who was sworn in during 1997. Kabua made him Minister for the Ralik Chain of islands in 1998, holding that position for a year and also undertaking an additional portfolio as Minister-in-Assistance to the President in 1999.
During his time in the Nitijela Loeak took an active part in many of its committees including those for the Judiciary and Government Relations; Public Account, Health and Education and Social Services (which he chaired); Foreign Affairs and Trade; Appropriation; Resource and Development; International Protection, Peace, Security and Protection of the Environment. He was also a member of the Second and Third Constitutional Conventions, serving as vice-president of the latter, and chaired the Bill of Rights Committee.<ref name=bio/> Loeak was part of the team that negotiated the extension of the United States lease of the Marshallese part of the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site after an eight-year deadlock on talks. The Marshall Islands government agreed to accept payment of $32 million in return for extending the lease on the site.<ref name=lease>{{cite news|title=Marshall Islands and US ink deal for missile testing. |url=http://digitaljournal.com/article/306617|access-date=3 January 2012|newspaper=Digital Journal|date=12 May 2011}}</ref>
Loeak was re-elected to the Nitijela in 2007 and continued to hold the seat of Ailinglaplap afterwards.<ref name=bio/> He re-entered the cabinet in 2008 as Minister-in-Assistance to President Litokwa Tomeing.<ref name=bio/>
===Presidency=== [[File:Ma Ying-jeou and Christopher Loeak at National Theater 20130327.jpg|thumb|370px|Loeak visiting the Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in 2013]] Loeak became president of the Marshall Islands in January 2012 when the Nitijela elected him to that post.<ref name=yokwe/> Loeak was elected as presidential candidate by default when former President Kessai Note refused to elect Aelon Kein Ad chosen nominee Tony Debrum who had won the primary. Loeak was thus chosen as second choice to keep the majority. Loeak defeated incumbent president Jurelang Zedkaia by 21 votes to 11. Zedkaia agreed to co-operate with the new administration and Loeak was expected to name his cabinet and be sworn in within a week.<ref name=rnz>{{cite news|title=Loeak elected new Marshall Islands President|url=http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=65333|access-date=3 January 2012|newspaper=Radio New Zealand |date=3 January 2012}}</ref>
On 26 September 2013, Loeak made a speech to the General Debate of the 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly and said:
<blockquote>Global efforts on climate change are falling short - and low-lying island nations such as mine are already paying the earliest costs of what is fast becoming a global crisis. In every sense, the world must build for future risks, and too often, we are still setting course for current conditions. It is the seas that are rising - not the islands that are sinking. I will not concede my own land or my nation; but nor will I rest until my fellow world leaders have signed onto to act, not just out of economic convenience, but out of a common responsibility of all to strive for upward momentum.<ref name="CLUN">{{cite web| first=|last=|url= https://gadebate.un.org/68/marshall-islands |title= Statement Presented by Mr. Christopher Loeak, President of the Marshall Islands|date =26 September 2013|publisher=68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly - General Debate |access-date= 4 November 2013}}</ref></blockquote>
===After the presidency=== Loeak was appointed the Minister in Assistance to the President by President David Kabua in January 2020.<ref>{{cite web|last=Johnson |first=Giff |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/407600/marshalls-president-kabua-s-inauguration-set-for-monday |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018060514/https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/407600/marshalls-president-kabua-s-inauguration-set-for-monday |title=Marshalls' President Kabua's inauguration set for Monday |publisher=Radio New Zealand |date=20 January 2020 |archive-date=18 October 2020}}</ref> On 4 September 2021, he succeeded to the throne of Ailinglaplap, becoming the new Iroijlaplap following the death of Kotak Litokwa Loeak.{{citation needed|date=August 2025}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{commons category}} * [https://gadebate.un.org/67/marshall-islands Statement by Christopher Loeak, President of the Marshall Islands] to the Sixty-seventh session of the United Nations General Assembly, 25 September 2012
{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef | before = Jurelang Zedkaia }} {{s-ttl | title = {{nowrap|President of the Marshall Islands}} | years = 2012–2016 }} {{s-aft | after = Casten Nemra }} {{s-reg}} {{s-bef | before = Kotak Litokwa Loeak }} {{s-ttl | title = Iroijlaplap of Ailinglaplap | years = 2021–2025 }} {{S-aft | after = ''Vacant'' }} {{s-end}}
{{MarshallPresidents}} {{Authority control}} {{Nitijela}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loeak, Christopher}} Category:1952 births Category:2025 deaths Category:Presidents of the Marshall Islands Category:Ministers in assistance to the president of Marshall Islands Category:Education ministers of the Marshall Islands Category:Environment ministers of the Marshall Islands Category:Justice ministers of the Marshall Islands Category:Social affairs ministers of the Marshall Islands Category:Members of the Legislature of the Marshall Islands Category:People from the Ralik Chain Category:Gonzaga University School of Law alumni Category:Hawaii Pacific University alumni Category:21st-century Marshallese politicians Category:Marshallese climate activists