Fofō Iosefa Fiti Sunia

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Fofō Iosefa Fiti Sunia<ref name="Gup 1982">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> (March 13, 1937 – October 14, 2025) was an American Samoan politician. He was the first non-voting Delegate from American Samoa to the United States House of Representatives.

Early life and career

Fofō Iosefa Fiti Sunia was born in Fagasā on March 13, 1937. He attended the University of Hawaiʻi and earned a bachelor's degree in economics.<ref name="Kowalewski 2017"/> Sunia was the administrative officer for the Samoan affairs-liaison functions for the Governor of American Samoa, and served as a translator and interpreter and an election commissioner from 1961 to 1966. He founded the Samoan News newspaper in 1964 and became director of tourism for the Government of American Samoa in 1966, serving until 1970. Sunia was elected a territorial Senator in 1970 and was a member of the legislature until 1978. He also formerly served as president and chairman of the American Samoan Development Corporation.<ref name="Kowalewski 2017">Template:Cite book</ref>

Congress

Sunia was elected to Congress in 1980. He served from January 3, 1981, until his resignation on September 6, 1988, after he was indicted on federal charges of running a payroll padding scheme. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five to fifteen months in prison and to pay $65,000 in restitution.<ref>Long, Kim. "The Almanac of Political Corruption, Scandals & Dirty Politics, (2008). Template:ISBN.</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>"Samoan Ex-Delegate Sunia Sentenced." October 5, 1998. Washington Post: page 2.</ref>

Political views

As a Delegate to the U.S. Congress, Sunia opposed a Constitutional amendment which would have made English the official language of the United States. He argued that English already is the language of the U.S. and the law represented few if any changes to the status quo. He was quoted as saying: "… the 35,000 American Samoans on the island use the Samoan language in government, in the court, in business and in all facets of daily living, but strive to improve their proficiency in English." He did not believe the proposed amendment would reward "linguistic differences as an asset."<ref>Shumway, Norman D. and Fofō I.F. Sunia (1985). "Should English Be the Official U.S. Language? (Pro and Con)." The American Legion 118, page 13.</ref>

After Congress

Sunia was released from prison after 11 months.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His knowledge and experience outweighed his conviction and he was hired to work as a staff member for the American Samoa Fono. By 1993, he was the highest-ranking staffer.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Sunia died on October 14, 2025, at the age of 88.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

See also

• List of Asian Americans and Pacific Islands Americans in the United States Congress

External links

• Template:C-SPAN

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