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Amoa Tausilia

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Amoa Tausilia
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly
In office
1961–1967
Preceded byLuafatasaga Kalapu
Succeeded byMagele Ate
Minister of Justice
In office
1971–1973
Preceded byTuala Paulo
Succeeded byTupua Tamasese Lealofi
Minister of Education
In office
1970–1971
Preceded byTuaopepe Tame
Succeeded byTuala Paulo
Member of the Legislative Assembly
In office
1957–1973
Succeeded byTafua Kalolo
ConstituencyAleipata Itupa-i-Lalo
Personal details
Born24 August 1922
Samusu, Western Samoa

Amoa Lolesio Tausilia (born 24 August 1922) was a Western Samoan chief and politician. He served as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from 1961 to 1967 and as Minister of Education and Minister of Justice from between 1970 and 1973.

Biography

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Tausilia was born Samusu on Upolu in August 1922.[1] He was educated at the Marist Brothers School in Apia and subsequently worked as a teacher, serving as headteacher of Chanel Primary School between 1943 and 1947.[2][1] From 1948 to 1951 he worked as a merchandise manager for Samoa Traders.[1] He was conferred with the chiefly title Amoa in 1950,[1] and later joined the civil service, working for the Registrar of Co-operative Societies.[3]

Tausilia contested the Aleipata Itupa-i-Lalo constituency in the 1957 general elections and was elected to the Legislative Assembly. The following year he was elected Deputy Speaker.[4] As a member of the Legislative Assembly, he was part of the 1960 Constitutional Assembly that drew up the independence constitution, to which he was a signatory. After being re-elected in 1961, he was elected Speaker. He remained Speaker following the 1964 elections, serving until the 1967 elections.

After being re-elected again in 1970, Tausilia was appointed Minister of Education. In a cabinet reshuffle the following year, he became Minister of Justice.[5] He lost his seat in the 1973 elections.[6] He contested the seat unsuccessfully again in 1976, 1979 and 1982.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Pacific Islands Year Book 1963, p5
  2. ^ Lauofo Meti (2002) Samoa: The Making of the Constitution, p326
  3. ^ Two young Samoans Pacific Islands Monthly, August 1957, p78
  4. ^ Important New Post in W. Samoa Pacific Islands Monthly, March 1958, p20
  5. ^ In a nutshell Pacific Islands Monthly, May 1971, p28
  6. ^ As you were in W. Samoa with Mataafa on top again Pacific Islands Monthly, April 1973, p25
  7. ^ Samoan election results by constituency 1964–2016 Samoa Election Results Database