Fofō Iosefa Fiti Sunia

Fofō Iosefa Fiti Sunia (born March 13, 1937) was the first non-voting Delegate from American Samoa to the United States House of Representatives.

Fofō Sunia
Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from American Samoa's at-large district
In office January 3, 1981 – September 6, 1988
Preceded by	Himself (Delegate at-large)
Succeeded by	Eni Faleomavaega
Delegate at-large of American Samoa
In office January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1981
Preceded by	A. P. Lutali
Succeeded by	Himself (Delegate)
Personal details
Born	Iosefa Fiti Sunia[1] (1937-03-13) March 13, 1937 (age 87) Fagasā, American Samoa
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Aioletuna V. (Ta’amū) Sunia[2]
Children	Eight
Education	University of Hawaiʻi (BA)

Early life and career

Fofō Iosefa Fiti Sunia was born March 13, 1937, in Fagasā. He attended the University of Hawaiʻi and earned a bachelor's degree in economics.^[2] 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.^[2]

Congress

He 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.^[3][4][5][6]

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 for 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."^[7]

After Congress

He was released from prison after 11 months.^[8] 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.^[9] As of 2016, he is a resident of Pago Pago.^[2]

See also

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