{{Short description|North Marianan politician}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = Joe Inos |office = President of the Senate of the Northern Mariana Islands |term_start = 1990 |term_end = 1992 |predecessor = Benjamin Mangloña |successor = Juan Demapan |birth_name = Joseph Songao Inos |birth_date = {{nowrap|{{birth date and age|1947|12|31}}}} |birth_place = Rota, Northern Mariana Islands |death_date = |death_place = |party = Republican (before 1993, 1997–2005, 2013–2018)<br>Democratic (1993–1997, 2018–present)<br>Covenant (2005–2013) |relatives = Eloy Inos (brother) |education = Chaffey College (AS)<br>Wayne State University (BS) }} '''Joseph Songao Inos''' was born on December 31, 1947. He is a politician from the Northern Mariana Islands. He has served as a member of the Northern Mariana Islands Senate and as the Mayor of Rota.
==Early life== Inos was born on December 31, 1947, in Rota.<ref name="Marquis 97-98">{{cite book|editor-last=McDonough|editor-first=Beverley|title=Who's Who in American Politics 1997-1998|date=October 1, 1997<!--found via Amazon-->|page=2394|publisher=Marquis Who's Who |isbn=0-8379-6902-6|url=https://archive.org/details/whoswhoinamerica0002marq/page/2394/mode/2up|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> He was the brother of Governor Eloy Inos.<ref>{{cite news|title=Former Rota mayor nominated for gubernatorial bid|first=Cherrie Anne E.|last=Villahermosa|newspaper=The Guam Daily Post|date=January 23, 2018|access-date=April 23, 2024|url=https://www.postguam.com/news/cnmi/former-rota-mayor-nominated-for-gubernatorial-bid/article_e637014a-ff35-11e7-a1c8-f357e60487c3.html}}</ref> He earned an associate's degree at Chaffey College and a bachelor of arts degree from Wayne State University. In 1976, he married Diane B Masga.<ref name="Marquis 97-98"/>
==Political career== Inos was elected to the Northern Mariana Islands Senate in the 1978 general election. During the 1st Commonwealth Legislature, he was a sponsor of the bill that set up the judicial branch of the Northern Mariana Islands.<ref>{{cite web|last=Torres|first=Joaquin S. (Senate Clerk)|title=Public Law 1-05|date=June 14, 1978|publisher=Northern Mariana Islands Senate|access-date=April 23, 2024|url=https://www.cnmilaw.gov/pdf/public_laws/01/pl01-05.pdf|via=Northern Mariana Islands Bar Association}}</ref> He then served sixteen years in the CNMI Senate representing Rota. He served as the floor leader in the 4th and 6th Legislature. During the 7th and 8th Commonwealth Legislatures, Inos was the President of the Senate.<ref name="Dems Bet">{{cite news|first=Ferdie |last=De La Torre |title=Joseph S. Inos is Dems' gubernatorial bet |url=https://www.saipantribune.com/index.php/joseph-s-inos-dems-gubernatorial-bet/ |work=Saipan Tribune |date=2018-01-22 |access-date=2018-11-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181104134625/https://www.saipantribune.com/index.php/joseph-s-inos-dems-gubernatorial-bet/ |archive-date=2018-11-04 |url-status=live}}</ref>
He then served two non-consecutive terms as the Mayor of Rota.<ref name="Dems Bet"/> Inos announced his candidacy for Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands on the Democratic ticket on January 19, 2018. Shortly after, he withdrew from the race on February 7, 2018, citing a lack of unified support from his predominantly-Republican family, who sided with his brother's running mate and successor as Governor, Ralph Torres.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Dandan|first=Zaldy|title=Micronesia in Review: Issues and Events (1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018)|journal=Contemporary Pacific|volume=31|number=1|page=184|year=2019|access-date=April 22, 2024|via=eVols|url=https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/1b1f54ca-40b5-4240-bf02-b1d4c5dfc9bd/content}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=Benjamin Mangloña}} {{s-ttl|title=President of the Senate of the Northern Mariana Islands|years=1990–1992}} {{s-aft|after=Juan Demapan}} |- {{s-ppo}} {{s-bef|before=Tofila Deleon Guerrero}} {{s-ttl|title={{nowrap|Democratic nominee for Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands}}<br>Withdrew|years=2018}} {{s-aft|after=Juan Babauta<br>Endorsed}} {{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Inos, Joseph S.}} Category:1947 births Category:21st-century mayors of places in the Northern Mariana Islands Category:Democratic Party (Northern Mariana Islands) politicians Category:Living people Category:Mayors of Rota (island) Category:Northern Mariana Islands senators Category:Republican Party (Northern Mariana Islands) politicians Category:Wayne State University alumni