Pula Nikolao Pula facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nikolao Pula
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Pula in 2022
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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 important politician from American Samoa. He is currently serving as the ninth governor of American Samoa since 2025. A governor is like the top leader of a territory or state. He won the election in 2024, beating the previous governor. Before this, he worked for a long time in a special government office called the Office of Insular Affairs.
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About Nikolao Pula
Growing Up and Learning
Nikolao Pula was born in American Samoa. He was the youngest of 12 children. His father was the first Samoan Director of Education. Nikolao grew up in a village called Utulei. He went to elementary school there.
He later attended Marist Brothers High School. He graduated in 1974 as the best student in his class. After high school, he went to college in the United States. He studied at Menlo College in California. He also went to Brigham Young University in Utah. Later, he finished his education at George Mason University in Virginia.
Starting His Political Journey
After college, Pula worked for a short time for the American Samoa Legislature. This is like the local government's law-making group. In 1981, he moved to Washington, D.C., the capital of the U.S. There, he became a special helper for a U.S. Senator from Hawaii, Daniel Inouye. He worked with the Senator for 11 years.
After that, he helped the American Samoa delegate, Fofō Iosefa Fiti Sunia. A delegate represents American Samoa in the U.S. Congress. Pula also helped with other important jobs in the U.S. government.
Leading the Office of Insular Affairs
In 1993, Nikolao Pula joined the United States Department of the Interior. He worked specifically for the Office of Insular Affairs (OIA). The OIA helps manage the relationship between the U.S. government and its territories. These territories include places like American Samoa.
He started as a policy officer. From 2002 to 2022, he was the Director of the OIA. He was the first Samoan person to ever hold this important job. In this role, he worked as a link between the U.S. government and several U.S. territories. He also helped with three independent island nations that have special ties to the U.S. He was in charge of general rules for these islands. He also led several important committees that managed money and economic plans for these areas.
Pula stepped down from his OIA Director role in 2022.
Becoming Governor of American Samoa
In March 2024, Nikolao Pula decided to run for governor of American Samoa. 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 the most votes, but not enough to win right away. This meant there had to be a second election, called a "runoff." Two weeks later, Pula won the runoff election. He defeated the current governor with almost 60% of the votes.
In December 2024, it was announced that Pula had joined the Republican Party. This made him the first Republican governor of American Samoa in many years.
His Family Life
Nikolao Pula is married to Dr. Lois Ellen Pula. She is a professor of nursing. They have six children together. As of 2023, they also have 22 grandchildren.
