{{short description|American politician}} {{Use American English|date=May 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2026}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = Tauese Sunia |image = GovSunia.jpg |order = 5th [[List of governors of American Samoa|Governor of American Samoa]] |lieutenant = Togiola Tulafono |term_start = January 3, 1997 |term_end = March 26, 2003 |predecessor = [[A. P. Lutali]] |successor = [[Togiola Tulafono]] |office1 = 6th [[Lieutenant Governor of American Samoa]] |governor1 = [[A. P. Lutali]] |term_start1 = January 4, 1993 |term_end1 = January 3, 1997 |predecessor1 = [[Gaioi Tufele Galeai]] |successor1 = [[Togiola Tulafono]] |office2 = Member of the [[American Samoa House of Representatives]] |term_start2 = 1969 |term_end2 = 1970 |birth_date = {{birth date|1941|8|29}} |birth_place = [[Fagatogo]], [[American Samoa]], U.S. |death_date = {{death date and age|2003|3|26|1941|8|29}} |death_place = En route to [[Hawaii]] |party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] |spouse = [[Fagaoalii Satele Sunia|Fagaoalii Satele]] (1969–2003) |children = 10 |education = [[University of Nebraska at Kearney|University of Nebraska, Kearney]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>[[University of Hawaii at Manoa|University of Hawaii, Manoa]] ([[Master of Arts|MA]]) }} '''Tauese Tuailemafua Pita Fiti Sunia''' (August 29, 1941 – March 26, 2003) was an [[American Samoan people|American Samoan]] politician who served as the fifth [[governor of American Samoa]] from 1997 until his death in 2003. He was the second governor of American Samoa to die in office; [[Warren Terhune]] was the first.<ref name="samoanews">{{cite news|last=Feagaimaalii-Luamanu|first=Joyetter|date=2015-09-09|title=Former First Lady "Faga" Sunia, passes away|work=[[Samoa News]]|url=http://www.samoanews.com/content/en/former-first-lady-%E2%80%9Cfaga%E2%80%9D-sunia-passes-away|url-status=dead|accessdate=2015-10-11|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925004328/http://samoanews.com/content/en/former-first-lady-%E2%80%9Cfaga%E2%80%9D-sunia-passes-away|archivedate=2015-09-25}}</ref>
==Career== Sunia's career in public service began in the education sector, where he held various administrative roles, including Deputy Director of the [[American Samoa Department of Education]] from 1972 to 1974. In 1974, he became the first vice president of the newly established [[American Samoa Community College]], and later served as the Director of the Department of Education from 1984 to 1988. His political career began in 1992 when he was elected as [[Lieutenant Governor of American Samoa|Lieutenant Governor]] on the Democratic ticket alongside [[A. P. Lutali]].<ref>Craig, Robert D. (2011). ''Historical Dictionary of Polynesia''. Scarecrow Press. Page 263. ISBN 9780810867727.</ref>
Sunia was a member of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]]. He won the [[1996 American Samoan general election|election of 1996]] in a close [[Two-round system|runoff]] with [[Lealaifuaneva Peter Reid]] (51%-48%). The runoff was caused by a split in the Democratic Party in American Samoa between Sunia and incumbent governor [[Lutali Aifili Paulo Lauvao]], who received third place, with no candidate gaining a majority. Sunia won another close victory against Reid in the [[2000 American Samoan gubernatorial election|2000 election]], 50%–48%, with no runoff. The results were contested by his opponent, Peter Reid, but were eventually upheld by the courts.<ref>Craig, Robert D. (2011). ''Historical Dictionary of Polynesia''. Scarecrow Press. Page 263. ISBN 9780810867727.</ref>
During Sunia's term of office a protest was issued against [[Samoa]], formerly named Western Samoa, for changing its official name to the shorter form. The official view in [[American Samoa]] is that such a form detracts from the [[Samoan people|Samoan]] identity of American Samoa, and public officials and documents from [[American Samoa]] still refer to Samoa as "Western Samoa".
In 1997, he was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters by [[Golden Gate University]].<ref>Craig, Robert D. (2011). ''Historical Dictionary of Polynesia. Scarecrow Press''. Page 263. ISBN 9780810867727.</ref>
== Personal life == Sunia married [[Fagaoalii Satele Sunia]] in 1969.<ref name="samoanews" /> They moved back to American Samoa in 1981 after living in [[Hawaii]] and settled in [[Leone, American Samoa]].<ref name="samoanews" />
Tauese Sunia graduated from [[Samoana High School]] and attended Kearney State Teachers' College in Nebraska, where he later taught. Returning to American Samoa in 1965, he taught Government and History at [[Leone High School]] and on television. In 1967, he was hired by the [[American Samoa Department of Education]]. From 1969-1970, he served one term in the [[American Samoa House of Representatives]], representing the first district. In 1974, he assisted the President of the [[American Samoa Community College]] with its relocation from [[Utulei, American Samoa|Utulei]] to [[Mapusagafou]]. In 1980, Sunia earned a master's degree from the University of Hawai'i. He returned to American Samoa to support [[A. P. Lutali]]'s gubernatorial campaign and was subsequently appointed Director of Education by Governor Lutali. In 1992, he joined Lutali’s administration as [[Lieutenant Governor of American Samoa]] in 1993. Sunia was awarded the High Orator title Tauese of the village of [[Taʻū]] in 1984. He also served as chairman of the Annual General Assembly of the Christian Congregational Church in 1996, 1998, and 2000.<ref> Sunia, Fofō Iosefa Fiti (2001). ''Puputoa: Host of Heroes - A record of the history makers in the First Century of American Samoa, 1900-2000''. Suva, Fiji: Oceania Printers. Page 148. ISBN 9829036022.</ref>
== Death == Sunia died during his second term, on March 26, 2003, while on a flight to [[Hawaii]] to receive medical treatment, becoming only the second governor of American Samoa (after [[Warren Terhune]]), and the first civilian one, to die in office. In 2012, the Utulei Convention Center was remodeled and renamed for Sunia.<ref>{{cite news|title=State of the art ocean center dedicated to Tauese Sunia|url=http://www.samoanews.com/node/8013|accessdate=September 14, 2015|work=Samoa News|date=August 20, 2012|archive-date=September 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910101936/http://samoanews.com/node/8013|url-status=dead}}</ref> His wife, Fagaoalii Satele Sunia, died on September 5, 2015.<ref>{{cite news|title=Former First Lady Fagaoalii Sunia passes away|url=http://www.talanei.com/Former-First-Lady-Fagaoalii-Sunia-passes-away/21943325|accessdate=September 14, 2015|work=Talanei|date=September 8, 2015|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924130824/http://www.talanei.com/Former-First-Lady-Fagaoalii-Sunia-passes-away/21943325|archivedate=September 24, 2015}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20071010082718/http://www.pacificmagazine.net/news/2003/03/28/american-samoa-mourns-death-of-governor-tauese-sunia Obituary] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20041107225943/http://www.doi.gov/oia/Islandpages/inmemorium.htm Office of Insular Affairs obituary] *{{C-SPAN}}
{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=[[Gaioi Tufele Galeai]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Lieutenant Governor of American Samoa]]|years=1993–1997}} {{s-aft|rows=2|after=[[Togiola Tulafono]]}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[A.P. Lutali]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[List of governors of American Samoa|Governor of American Samoa]]|years=1997–2003}} |- {{s-ppo}} {{s-bef|before=[[A. P. Lutali]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee for [[List of governors of American Samoa|Governor of American Samoa]]|years=1996, 2000}} {{s-aft|after=[[Togiola Tulafono]]}} {{s-end}}
{{Governors of American Samoa}} {{Lieutenant Governors of American Samoa}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sunia, Tauese}} [[Category:1941 births]] [[Category:2003 deaths]] [[Category:20th-century American politicians]] [[Category:American people of Samoan descent]] [[Category:American Samoa Democrats]] [[Category:American Samoan Congregationalists]] [[Category:Democratic Party governors of American Samoa]] [[Category:Governors of American Samoa]] [[Category:Lieutenant governors of American Samoa]] [[Category:People from Pago Pago, American Samoa]]