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 | January 27,1948 |
Education | Victoria University of Wellington (LLB) George Washington University (MCL) [1] [2] |
Lealaialoa F. 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,breaking the precedent of previous appointments being held exclusively by Caucasians. Kruse earned his AB degree from Victoria University in Wellington,New Zealand,and later obtained a law 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 is a flag consisting 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.
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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.
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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.
Wilson Faumuina was an American football defensive lineman who played five seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Atlanta Falcons. He died at age 32 of heart failure. Wilson attended Balboa High School in San Francisco and played both defensive end and offensive tackle. He was All City several times. Wilson then attended San Jose State from which he was drafted by the Falcons as a first round draft pick,20th overall in 1977 NFL draft. He played five seasons with the Falcons from 1977 to 1981.
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Charles Brainard Taylor Moore was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy and Naval Governor of American Samoa from 1905 to 1908. Taylor was born in Decatur,Illinois. He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1873. Moore was the first Governor of American Samoa to receive a formal appointment from the President of the United States. He established the Annual Meetings of the Territory,allowing traditional leaders to discuss topics of interest with the Governor and offer suggestions. These meetings marked the first time that Tutuila Island and the Manuʻa Islands convened as a unified government under the same authority. Drawing inspiration from Governor Wilhelm Solf's success in Western Samoa,Moore requested the U.S. Navy to extend governors' terms to four years,but this was denied. However,he was allowed to serve nearly three and a half years,longer than any other Navy Governor except John Martin Poyer. Moore advanced legislative authority for American Samoans and enacted more territorial laws than his predecessors. He abolished the customs of auosoga and faamasei’au and drafted the first matai law,ensuring matai titles were registered and disputes were legally resolved. In 1907,he made the first appropriation requests from Washington,D.C.,seeking $6,000 for schools,$6,000 for hospitals,and $5,000 for roads.
John Fredrick Parker was a Captain in the United States Navy and one-time Governor of American Samoa from May 21,1908 to Nov. 10,1910. John F. Parker was born in Ohio in 1853. He graduated from Annapolis in 1874 and married Elizabeth Scott Lord,niece of President Benjamin Harrison. He served as governor of Samoa from May 21,1908 - November 10,1910. He was stationed in Manila during the Spanish–American War. During President Benjamin Harrison's term he served as an aid. He died of Bright's disease at his home December 12,1911.
ʻIliʻili is a village in the southwest of Tutuila Island,American Samoa. It is located seven miles inland,southwest of Pago Pago,between the villages of Futiga and Vaitogi. It is in Tuālāuta County. As of the 2020 U.S. Census,ʻIliʻili has a population of 3,073,making it the third-most populated village in American Samoa.
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