Faleomavaega served as the administrative assistant to American Samoa Delegate A.U. Fuimaono from 1973 to 1975 and as staff counsel for the House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs from 1975 to 1981. He served as the Deputy Attorney General of American Samoa from 1981 to 1984.[5]
Political career
Faleomavaega entered elective politics when he ran alongside A. P. Lutali in the 1985 gubernatorial race. He served as Lieutenant Governor of American Samoa from 1985 to 1989. In 1987, he participated in an event that followed traditional Polynesian life experiences by sailing from Tahiti to Hawaii in a canoe.[6]
Congressional delegate
Faleomavaega and former president of the Marshall Islands Kessai Note.
Faleomavaega was elected as a Democrat to the House of Representatives in 1988, serving from January 3, 1989 until January 2015.[6] As a delegate, he has worked to receive more federal funding for his home territory, particularly for health care and other essential services. He has opposed free trade deals involving meats and seafood, as nearly one-third of his territory's population is involved in the tuna industry. He proposed legislation that would allow residents of US territories to vote in presidential elections if they are active duty members of the military.[7] Faleomavaega also participated in a boycott of Jacques Chirac, who made a speech to a joint session of the U.S. Congress in 1996, due to French nuclear testing in the Pacific.
Committee assignments
Faleomavaega was a member of the following committees in the House of Representatives:
Support for Sri Lanka's war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Faleomavaega has said that it is more opportune if the United States could refrain from interfering in internal affairs of Sri Lanka. He took the initiative of briefing members of the Sub Committee on Asia and the Pacific of the US House of Representatives in this respect.[8]
Support for American Samoa's independence
In 2012, both Faleomavaega and Togiola Tulafono, American Samoa's Governor, called for the populace to consider a move towards autonomy if not independence, to a mixed response.[9][10]
Support for Bahrain's monarchy
Faleomavaega was known for his vocal support of Bahrain's monarchy during the Bahraini uprising. One of Faleomavaega's top campaign donors, William Nixon, is a Washington, D.C.-based lobbyist whose firm, Policy Impact Communications, founded the pro-monarchy Bahrain American Council.[11] He has taken various paid trips to Bahrain to meet with that country's rulers.[12]
Legacy
VA Clinic
On March 31, 2017, President Donald Trump signed H.R. 1362 into law. H.R. 1362 names the VA clinic in Pago Pago, American Samoa, the "Faleomavaega Eni Fa'aua'a Hunkin VA Clinic."[13] The bill was sponsored by Delegate Amata Coleman Radewagen, Faleomavaega's successor as representative from American Samoa, and co-sponsored by five others.[14]
Death
Faleomavaega suffered from complications that he said are from his exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.[15][16] Voters' concerns about his health are speculated to have contributed to his 2014 election defeat.[15][16]
Faleomavaega died at the age of 73 on Wednesday, February 22, 2017. The cause was not specified. He was survived by his wife, 5 children, and 10 grandchildren.[17]
faleomavaega, hunkin, faleomavaega, ɑː, august, 1943, february, 2017, american, samoan, politician, attorney, served, territory, third, lieutenant, governor, from, 1985, 1989, voting, delegate, united, states, house, representatives, from, 1989, 2015, delegate. Eni Fa aua a Hunkin Faleomavaega Jr ˈ ɛ n iː f e ˌ l eɪ oʊ m ɑː v e ˈ ɛ ŋ ɡ e August 15 1943 February 22 2017 was an American Samoan politician and attorney who served as the territory s third lieutenant governor from 1985 to 1989 and non voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives from 1989 to 2015 1 2 As a delegate Faleomavaega served on committees and spoke on the House floor however he was not permitted to vote on the final passage of any legislation He also was the father in law of former professional American football fullback Fui Vakapuna Eni FaleomavaegaDelegate to the U S House of Representativesfrom American Samoa s at large districtIn office January 3 1989 January 3 2015Preceded byFofo SuniaSucceeded byAmata Coleman Radewagen3rd Lieutenant Governor of American SamoaIn office January 3 1985 January 2 1989GovernorA P LutaliPreceded byTufele LiamatuaSucceeded byGalea i Peni PoumelePersonal detailsBornEni Fa aua a Hunkin Faleomavaega Jr 1943 08 15 August 15 1943Vailoatai American Samoa U S DiedFebruary 22 2017 2017 02 22 aged 73 Provo Utah U S Political partyDemocraticSpouseHinanui Bambridge CaveChildren5EducationBrigham Young University Hawaii AA Brigham Young University BA University of Houston JD University of California Berkeley LLM Military serviceAllegiance United StatesBranch serviceUnited States Army United States Army ReserveYears of service1966 1969 Active 1982 1990 Reserve RankCaptainUnit100th Battalion 442nd Infantry RegimentBattles warsVietnam WarAwardsCommendation Medal Contents 1 Early life education and military service 2 Legal career 3 Political career 3 1 Congressional delegate 3 2 Committee assignments 3 3 Caucuses 3 4 Support for Sri Lanka s war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam 3 5 Support for American Samoa s independence 3 6 Support for Bahrain s monarchy 4 Legacy 4 1 VA Clinic 5 Death 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksEarly life education and military service EditFaleomavaega was born in Vailoatai American Samoa and grew up in Oahu Hawaii He graduated from Kahuku High School and initially attended Church College of Hawaii now Brigham Young University Hawaii where he completed his associate s degree He then transferred to Brigham Young University s main campus in Utah and earned a B A in political science and history in 1966 He received his J D from the University of Houston Law Center in 1972 and LL M from the UC Berkeley School of Law in 1973 He served as an enlistee in the United States Army from 1966 to 1969 and as an officer in the United States Army Reserve from 1982 to 1989 He completed a tour in the Vietnam War 3 and left the military with the rank of captain following his second term of service He and his wife were active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints 4 Legal career EditFaleomavaega served as the administrative assistant to American Samoa Delegate A U Fuimaono from 1973 to 1975 and as staff counsel for the House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs from 1975 to 1981 He served as the Deputy Attorney General of American Samoa from 1981 to 1984 5 Political career EditFaleomavaega entered elective politics when he ran alongside A P Lutali in the 1985 gubernatorial race He served as Lieutenant Governor of American Samoa from 1985 to 1989 In 1987 he participated in an event that followed traditional Polynesian life experiences by sailing from Tahiti to Hawaii in a canoe 6 Congressional delegate Edit Faleomavaega and former president of the Marshall Islands Kessai Note Faleomavaega a superdelegate announces the distribution of American Samoa s delegate votes as part of the roll call of the states during the third day of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver Colorado Faleomavaega was elected as a Democrat to the House of Representatives in 1988 serving from January 3 1989 until January 2015 6 As a delegate he has worked to receive more federal funding for his home territory particularly for health care and other essential services He has opposed free trade deals involving meats and seafood as nearly one third of his territory s population is involved in the tuna industry He proposed legislation that would allow residents of US territories to vote in presidential elections if they are active duty members of the military 7 Faleomavaega also participated in a boycott of Jacques Chirac who made a speech to a joint session of the U S Congress in 1996 due to French nuclear testing in the Pacific Committee assignments Edit Faleomavaega was a member of the following committees in the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia the Pacific and the Global Environment Ranking Member Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries Wildlife Oceans and Insular AffairsCaucuses Edit Congressional Asian Pacific American CaucusSupport for Sri Lanka s war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Edit Faleomavaega has said that it is more opportune if the United States could refrain from interfering in internal affairs of Sri Lanka He took the initiative of briefing members of the Sub Committee on Asia and the Pacific of the US House of Representatives in this respect 8 Support for American Samoa s independence Edit In 2012 both Faleomavaega and Togiola Tulafono American Samoa s Governor called for the populace to consider a move towards autonomy if not independence to a mixed response 9 10 Support for Bahrain s monarchy Edit Faleomavaega was known for his vocal support of Bahrain s monarchy during the Bahraini uprising One of Faleomavaega s top campaign donors William Nixon is a Washington D C based lobbyist whose firm Policy Impact Communications founded the pro monarchy Bahrain American Council 11 He has taken various paid trips to Bahrain to meet with that country s rulers 12 Legacy EditVA Clinic Edit On March 31 2017 President Donald Trump signed H R 1362 into law H R 1362 names the VA clinic in Pago Pago American Samoa the Faleomavaega Eni Fa aua a Hunkin VA Clinic 13 The bill was sponsored by Delegate Amata Coleman Radewagen Faleomavaega s successor as representative from American Samoa and co sponsored by five others 14 Death EditFaleomavaega suffered from complications that he said are from his exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War 15 16 Voters concerns about his health are speculated to have contributed to his 2014 election defeat 15 16 Faleomavaega died at the age of 73 on Wednesday February 22 2017 The cause was not specified He was survived by his wife 5 children and 10 grandchildren 17 See also EditList of Delegates to the United States House of Representatives from American Samoa List of Asian Americans and Pacific Islands Americans in the United States Congress Biography portalReferences Edit Eni Faleomavaega who served 13 terms as delegate from American Samoa dies at 73 Washington Post American Samoa Congressional Map Archived 2006 01 26 at the Wayback Machine Eni Faleomavaega who served 13 terms as delegate from American Samoa dies at 73 The Washington Post Rep Eni Faleomavaega 17 Mormons in Congress in 2013 Deseret News 2012 11 13 Retrieved 2016 04 01 Fili Sagapolutele 24 February 2017 Longtime delegate for American Samoa Washington Post via EBSCOHost a b Biography of Eni Faleomavaega U S Congress Archived from the original on 2008 05 05 Retrieved 2008 05 09 Eni Faleomavaega United States Congress House gov 1943 08 15 Archived from the original on 2010 08 10 Retrieved 2010 07 12 Double Standards in US Foreign Policy Questioned YouTube Retrieved 2016 04 01 American Samoa must consider independence congressman Pacific Beat ABC Radio Australia Radioaustralia net au 2012 05 18 Retrieved 2016 04 01 Call for independence discussion for American Samoa ABC Radio Australia Radioaustralia net au 2012 05 18 Retrieved 2016 04 01 Elliot Justin April 2 2012 Meet Bahrain s Best Friend in Congress ProPublica Elliot Justin April 11 2012 Law Shrouds Details of Congressional Trips Abroad ProPublica H R 1362 Text 115th Congress 2017 2018 US Congress April 5 2017 Territory s VA clinic now officially named after Faleomavaega Eni Fa aua a Hunkin Samoa News samoanews com Retrieved 2017 04 05 a b Fili Sagapolutele November 9 2014 1st Woman Elected as American Samoa Delegate Associated Press Retrieved March 20 2015 a b Cama Timothy November 5 2014 American Samoa Delegate Loses Seat The Hill Retrieved March 20 2015 Eni Faleomavaega 73 American Samoa s Long Serving Delegate to Congress Dies The New York Times External links EditBiography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress Financial information federal office at the Federal Election Commission Profile at Vote Smart House Democrats Profile Appearances on C SPANPolitical officesPreceded byTufele Liamatua Lieutenant Governor of American Samoa1985 1989 Succeeded byGalea i Peni PoumeleU S House of RepresentativesPreceded byFofo Sunia Delegate to the U S House of Representativesfrom American Samoa s at large congressional district1989 2015 Succeeded byAmata Coleman Radewagen Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Eni Faleomavaega amp oldid 1133986704, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
