Michael Kruse | |
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Chief Justice of the High Court of American Samoa | |
Assumed office November 1, 1988 | |
Preceded by | Grover J. Rees III |
Judge Pro Tempore at the District Court of American Samoa | |
In office 1979–1985 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Utulei | January 27,1948
Education | Victoria University of Wellington (LLB) George Washington University (MCL) [1] [2] |
Lealaialoa Fredrickus Michael Kruse (born January 27,1948) [1] is the Chief Justice of the High Court of American Samoa. Kruse made history as the first person of Samoan descent to be appointed Chief Justice of the High Court of American Samoa. Kruse earned his AB degree from Victoria University in Wellington,New Zealand,and later obtained an MCL degree from George Washington University Law School in Washington,DC. He practiced law for 11 years at the firm of Kruse,Sunia,and Ward in Pago Pago before being appointed Chief Justice by U.S. Secretary of the Interior,Donald Hodel. In January 2009,Kruse was chosen to serve as Secretary of the Pacific Judicial Council,a group comprising judges and justices from across the Pacific region. [3]
Born in Utulei and raised in Leone,his early life was marked by diverse work experiences,including roles as a planter,hog farmer,construction laborer,delivery vendor,stevedore,carpenter,baker,retailer,warehouseman,and corporate officer. He was the son of Masoe Fritz Kruse,a Member of Parliament,and Peleiupu Aigamaua Kruse. From a young age,Kruse was actively involved in his parents' business ventures,which included farming,merchandising,and management. [4]
Kruse’s education began in Leone and continued in Apia,Western Samoa,before he attended high school in Auckland,New Zealand. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Victoria University in Wellington and pursued post-graduate studies at the National Law Center of George Washington University in Washington,DC,where he obtained a Master of Comparative Law (MCL) degree. During his time in DC,he also worked part-time in the office of A. U. Fuimaono,the first delegate from American Samoa to the U.S. Congress. [5]
Upon returning to American Samoa,Kruse practiced law in both Apia and Pago Pago as part of the Kruse &Kruse law firm. In 1985,he partnered with John Ward and Aitofele Sunia to form a new legal practice. Kruse was a member of the bar associations in the District of Columbia,American Samoa,Western Samoa,and New Zealand. He also served as Vice President and President of the American Samoa Bar Association. Between 1979 and 1985,he held the position of Judge Pro Tempore at the newly established District Court of American Samoa. [6]
Kruse's judicial career advanced when he was appointed Associate Justice of the High Court of American Samoa on March 1,1987. On November 1,1988,Interior Secretary Donald P. Hodel appointed him Chief Justice,making Kruse the first Samoan to hold this position. He is the registered holder of the Leone orator matai title,Lealaialoa. Kruse married Gail Brunt-Meredith of Apia,and they have three children together. [7]
Kruse practiced law in American Samoa as an attorney from 1985 until his appointment as an associate justice of the High Court of American Samoa in 1987. [2] He was then appointed as Chief Justice of American Samoa in 1988. [8] The Chief Justice is the head of the High Court of American Samoa. [9]
His eldest son,Vincent Kruse,is a lawyer practicing in Hawaii. [10]
Eni Fa'aua'a Hunkin Faleomavaega Jr. 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. 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.
The flag of American Samoa consists of a red-edged white triangle pointing towards the hoist charged with a bald eagle clutching a war club and fly-whisk,with dark blue upper and lower triangles. Adopted in April 1960 to replace the "Stars and Stripes" as the official flag of the territory,it has been the flag of the Territory of American Samoa since that year. The colors used epitomize the traditional colors of the United States and Samoa.
Tofilau Eti Alesana was a Samoan politician who served as the fifth prime minister of Samoa from 1982 to 1985,and again from 1988 until his resignation in 1998.
The Cathedral of the Holy Family is a late 20th-century church that serves as the Cathedral—together with the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph the Worker—of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Samoa–Pago Pago in American Samoa,an unincorporated territory of the United States. It is located in the Ottoville district of Tafuna,the largest city in the territory.
American Samoa Community College (ASCC) is a public land-grant community college in the village of Mapusaga,American Samoa. Only legal residents of American Samoa who have graduated from high school or obtained a General Equivalency Diploma are admitted to ASCC.
Fagatogo is the downtown area of Pago Pago. Located in the low grounds at the foot of Matafao Peak,it was the location of the first American settlement on Tutuila Island. It includes the sub-village of Malaloa. Today,Fagatogo is the government,commercial,financial,and shipping center of Tutuila. It is also the administrative capital of American Samoa. It is the location of the American Samoa Fono (legislature),and is listed in the Constitution of American Samoa as the territory's official seat of government. Its population is 1,737.
Utulei or ʻUtulei is a village in Maoputasi County,in the Eastern District of Tutuila,the main island of American Samoa. Utulei is traditionally considered to be a section of Fagatogo village,the legislative capital of American Samoa,and is located on the southwest edge of Pago Pago Harbor. Utulei is the site of many local landmarks:The A. P. Lutali Executive Office Building,which is next to the Feleti Barstow Library;paved roads that wind up to a former cablecar terminal on Solo Hill;the governor's mansion,which sits on Mauga o Alii,overlooking the entrance to Goat's Island,and the lieutenant governor's residence directly downhill from it;the Lee Auditorium,built in 1962;American Samoa's television studios,known as the Michael J. Kirwan Educational Television Center;and the Rainmaker Hotel. Utulei Terminal offers views of Rainmaker Mountain.
American Samoa Department of Education (ASDOE) operates public schools in American Samoa,an insular area of the United States. American Samoa contains 23 primary schools,10 secondary schools,and the remaining 5 are either administered by religious denominations or privately owned.
Edmund Beardsley Underwood was a Commodore in the United States Navy. Born in March 1853,at Humboldt Bay,in California,he was the son of U.S. Army Lieutenant Edmund Underwood and Mary Moore Beardsley. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1873. He was Commandant of American Samoa from May 5,1903 to January 30,1905. He retired in 1910.
Atuʻu is a village on Tutuila Island,American Samoa. It is located on the coast of Pago Pago Harbor,close to the capital,Pago Pago.
John Morse Haydon was the governor of American Samoa from 1969 to 1974. Haydon attended the University of Washington. He served as a First Lieutenant in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II and flew 35 combat missions over Germany. Haydon was commissioner of the Seattle Port Commission from 1960 to 1969,and president in 1963,1968,and 1969. He was a member of the Governor's Advisory Council on Fisheries from 1965 to 1967,and on Commerce and Economic Development from 1965 to 1969. On August 1,1969,he was appointed Governor of American Samoa by the Interior Secretary and he served until October 1974.
Frank Elliott Barnett was the governor of American Samoa from October 1,1976,to May 27,1977. Before becoming governor,he was a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent and a Tennessee attorney. He served as the first lieutenant governor of American Samoa for two years prior to his governorship. While Governor,a number of Samoans signed a petition accusing him of abusing local officials;others signed a counter-petition supporting him,and the charges were eventually dropped. This arose from his firing of Mere Betham,a native who had been serving as Samoan Director of Education,an action he defended as necessary to improve education on the island,but others decried as racist;Barnett reinstated Betham one week after dismissing her.
The Samoa News is a newspaper published in Pago Pago,American Samoa.
Vaiala is a village in the eastern side of Apia township on Upolu island in Samoa. It is situated on the central north coast of the island,to the east of the capital Apia. The village is in the political district of Tuamasaga.
Galeai Moaaliitele Tuufuli was an American Samoan politician.
Feleti Barstow Public Library is the main library in American Samoa,and is located in the village of Utulei in Maoputasi County. It is the central public library for the territory and is situated immediately across from the Office of Tourism,next to the Executive Office Building,and just behind Samoana High School. Besides a permanent display depicting American Samoa’s involvement in the Apollo Space Program,the library has also worked with the American Samoa Historic Preservation Office (ASHPO) since 2000 at creating a historic Polynesian Photo Archive. The goal of the project has been to electronically catalog and archive around 6,000 still and moving images of Polynesia which were collected by the American Samoa Government. The library has an extensive Pacific Collection which houses articles,books,and reports relevant to Pacific- and Samoan history. A large collection of photographs are stored in its Polynesian Photo Archive,which is a subset of their Pacific Collection.
Matuʻu is a village located in the Eastern District of American Sāmoa,approximately 3.5 kilometers northeast of the capital,Pago Pago. Nicknamed "Yellow Town," Matuʻu is renowned for its unique tradition of adorning the entire village with soft yellow lights during the Christmas season,creating a festive and distinctive atmosphere.
Samuel Sailele Ripley was a leader of the Mau movement in American Sāmoa,which sought resistance to U.S. colonial rule in the early 20th century. For his involvement,he was deported,barred,and exiled from his homeland by the U.S. government. On July 1,1940,he became the mayor of Richmond,California.
Mauga Moi Moi (1852–1935) was a statesman and paramount Aliʻi,the highest ranking chief of Pago Pago,and signatory of the Deed of Cession. In 1920,he initiated the Mau movement in 1920 and in 1900,he signed the Deed of Cession and became a District Governor under the new U.S. naval station. He was the High Chief of Pago Pago from 1900 to 1934 and therefore also the District Governor of the Eastern District according to U.S. Naval rule.
Arthur A. Greene was an American lawyer,journalist,and Democratic Party politician. He served as Secretary of the Territory of Hawaii under Governor Joseph Poindexter and as editor for both the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and the The Honolulu Advertiser. In the early 1920s,Greene was the attorney for the Mau movement in American Sāmoa,for which he was imprisoned and deported from the territory.