Pula Nikolao Pula facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nikolao Pula
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| 9th Governor of American Samoa | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2025 |
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| Lieutenant | Pulu Ae Ae Jr. |
| Preceded by | Lemanu Peleti Mauga |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Pulaali'i Tuiteleleapaga Iuli Nikolao Pula
December 31, 1955 American Samoa |
| Political party | Republican |
| Residences | Government House Pago Pago, American Samoa |
| Education | Menlo College Brigham Young University George Mason University |
Pulaali'i Tuiteleleapaga Iuli Nikolao Pula (born December 31, 1955) is an American Samoan politician. He is currently serving as the ninth Governor of American Samoa since January 2025.
He won the 2024 election for governor, defeating the previous governor, Lemanu Peleti Mauga. Pula is the first person from the Republican Party to be Governor of American Samoa since 1993. Before becoming governor, he worked for the Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) from 1993 to 2022. He was the Director of the OIA from 2002 to 2022.
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Early Life and School
Pula was born in American Samoa. He is the youngest of 12 children. His father was the first Samoan Director of Education. Pula grew up in a village called Utulei. He went to Utulei elementary school.
Later, he attended Marist Brothers High School and finished in 1974. He was the top student in his class, known as the valedictorian. After high school, he continued his studies in the United States. He went to Menlo College in California and Brigham Young University in Utah. In 1978, he served a mission in Samoa. He then returned to the U.S. and finished his education at George Mason University in Virginia.
His Career in Politics
After his mission, Pula worked for a short time with the American Samoa Fono, which is the local legislature. In 1981, he moved to Washington, D.C.. There, he became a special assistant for Senator Daniel Inouye from Hawaii. He worked with Senator Inouye for 11 years.
After that, he joined the office of Fofō Iosefa Fiti Sunia, who was the delegate for American Samoa. Pula also helped the Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate. He was also the staff director for a U.S. House committee that dealt with public works and transportation.
Working for the U.S. Government
In August 1993, Pula started working for the United States Department of the Interior. He worked specifically for the Office of Insular Affairs (OIA). From 1993 to 2000, he was a policy desk officer. He then served as the Acting Director of the OIA from 1999 to 2002.
In 2002, he became the official Director of the OIA. This made him the first Samoan person to ever hold this important job. In this role, he was a link between the U.S. government and several U.S. territories. He also worked with three freely associated states. He was in charge of general rules for these islands and watched over federal activities there. He also led several important committees that managed money and economic plans for these areas.
Pula was the Acting Assistant Secretary of Insular Affairs twice. He held this role for nine months in 2009 and again in 2014. He left his job as OIA Director in 2022.
Becoming Governor
In March 2024, Pula announced he would run for governor in the 2024 American Samoan general election. He chose Pulu Ae Ae Jr. to be his running mate. They ran against the current governor, Lemanu Peleti Mauga.
In the first election, Pula received 42.4% of the votes. Mauga received 36.2%. Since neither candidate got more than half of the votes, they had a second election, called a runoff election. Two weeks later, Pula won the runoff election with 59.8% of the votes.
In December 2024, the Republican National Committee announced that Pula had joined the Republican Party. This made him the first Republican governor of American Samoa since Peter Tali Coleman. Coleman served as governor from 1978 to 1985, and again from 1989 to 1993.
Personal Life
Pula is married to Dr. Lois Ellen Pula. She is a professor of nursing at Georgetown University. They have six children together. As of 2023, they also have 22 grandchildren.
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Nikolao Pula
