PoliticalGraveyard.com

Politicians in Trouble or Disgrace

Politicians in Trouble or Disgrace: American Samoa

in chronological order

	Benjamin Franklin Tilley (1848-1907) — also known as B. F. Tilley — Born in Bristol, Bristol County, R.I., March 29, 1848. Son of Benjamin Tilley and Sarah W. (Esterbrooks) Tilley; married, June 6, 1878, to Emily Edelin Williamson (1856-1931). U.S. Navy commander; Governor of American Samoa; court martialed in 1901 on charges of immorality and drunkenness; tried and found not guilty. Died, of pneumonia, in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pa., March 18, 1907 (age 58 years, 354 days). Interment at Naval Academy Cemetery, Annapolis, Md.   Presumably named for: Benjamin Franklin   See also Wikipedia article
	Warren Jay Terhune (1869-1920) — also known as Warren J. Terhune — of Hackensack, Bergen County, N.J. Born in Midland Park, Bergen County, N.J., May 3, 1869. Married to Josephine Lee Smith (1868-1955). Served in the U.S. Navy during the Spanish-American War; U.S. Navy commander; Governor of American Samoa; died in office 1920. Three days before he was to face an inquiry into charges against his administration, he shot himself in the heart, in a bathroom of the Executive Mansion, Utulei, American Samoa, November 3, 1920 (age 51 years, 184 days); later, the Navy exonerated him; his accuser, Lieutenant Commander Creed H. Boucher, was courtmartialed and found guilty of fomenting unrest among the Samoans. Interment at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va.   See also Find-A-Grave memorial
	Clark Daniel Stearns (b. 1870) — of Miami, Dade County (now Miami-Dade County), Fla. Born in 1870. Married to Edith S. Stearns. U.S. Navy officer; Governor of American Samoa; in 1921, he was relieved of duty as commander of the U.S. Navy ship Michigan, for allowing the men under his command to organize committees; in 1923, he was chief of emergency relief work following an earthquake in Japan, and received a medal from the Japanese Red Cross; after the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941, he sent the medal back to Japan. Burial location unknown.
	Fofó Iosefa Fiti Sunia (b. 1937) — also known as Fofó I. F. Sunia — of Pago Pago, American Samoa. Born in Fagasá, Pago Pago, American Samoa, March 13, 1937. Son of Fiti Sunia; brother of Tauese Pita Fiti Sunia and Ipulasi Aitofele Sunia. Democrat. Member of American Samoa senate, 1970-78; Delegate to U.S. Congress from American Samoa, 1981-88; resigned 1988; indicted in 1988 on charges of running a payroll padding scheme, and resigned as Delegate. Samoan ancestry. Still living as of 1989.   See also Sunia family   See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article

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