Samuel Sailele Ripley (November 22, 1883 – July 8, 1961) was a leader of the

Mau movement The Mau was a nonviolence, non-violent movement for Samoan independence from colony, colonial rule during the first half of the 20th century. ''Mau'' means 'resolute' or 'resolved' in the sense of 'opinion', 'unwavering', 'to be decided', o ...

American Sāmoa American Samoa is an unincorporated and unorganized territory of the United States located in the Polynesia region of the South Pacific Ocean. Centered on , it is southeast of the island country of Samoa, east of the International Date Line ...

, 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 Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was municipal corporation, incorporated on August 3, 1905, and has a Richmond, California, City Council, city council.

. Ripley returned home to Leone in July 1920, at a pivotal moment when tensions surrounding the Mau movement were escalating. By that time, the movement, which had arisen in February 1920 to oppose the U.S. Naval Administration, was gaining momentum, and Ripley aligned himself with its cause. The movement was suppressed by the U.S. government, which led to his exile. Ripley was the first Samoan to be barred from entering the land of his birth. Both C.S. Hannum and Arthur A. Greene worked with the Ripleys to obtain approval for a land development project in Leone.

Early life

Samuel Ripley, the eldest son of E.V. Ripley of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

and a mother from the Le’oso family of Leone, was born in Leone, American Sāmoa. In 1904, he moved to California and enlisted in the U.S. Army, later serving in Europe during World War I. After his military service, he spent some time working in New York before returning to California, where he married Madge.

Mau movement

After World War I, a member of the Ripley family from Leone — or possibly a relative connected to them overseas — proposed the idea of forming a family corporation focused on planting and trading. The Ripley family traced its lineage to E.V.P. Ripley of

, who had settled in Leone in the mid-19th century after marrying a Samoan woman. Samuel S. Ripley, a descendant, had moved to California in 1904. During World War I, he served as a U.S. Army sergeant stationed in France and later worked as an electrician at the

Mare Island Naval Shipyard The Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY or MINS) was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean and was in service 142 years from 1854 to 1996. It is located on Mare Island, northeast of San Francisco, in Vallejo, Califor ...

. His wife, Madge A. Ripley, a University of California graduate from California, was employed as a secretary to attorney C.S. Hannum in

. While the plan to develop family lands might have been viable in the United States or

Hawai‘i Hawaii ( ; ) is an island state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only state not on the North American mainland, t ...

, it encountered significant obstacles in American Sāmoa. The Native Lands Ordinance of 1900 prohibited the alienation of Samoan lands, and the U.S. Navy's

copra Copra (from ; ; ; ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted ...

monopoly rendered such ventures unfeasible, even on a small scale. In July 1920, Samuel Ripley returned to American Sāmoa from California, marking his first visit since leaving in 1904. His goal was to establish a new copra plantation using family lands in Leone, but he quickly ran into government opposition, as such business ventures were prohibited. In response, Ripley aligned himself with the

and enlisted C.S. Hannum, his wife's employer in California, as the movement's legal counsel. Hannum initiated extensive correspondence between Sāmoa and Washington, D.C., advising Ripley to challenge the legitimacy of U.S. Navy rule in Sāmoa, arguing it was unofficial and thereby invalidated its laws and taxes. The Ripleys sought a full congressional investigation to halt the exploitation of Samoans by the U.S. From July to November 1920, Ripley was involved with the Mau movement until he and his wife were deported by Governor Waldo A. Evans. Nearly a year later, on August 15, 1921, Ripley attempted to re-enter American Sāmoa but was intercepted at the

Pago Pago Pago Pago ( or ; Samoan language, Samoan: )Harris, Ann G. and Esther Tuttle (2004). ''Geology of National Parks''. Kendall Hunt. Page 604. . is the capital of American Samoa. It is in Maoputasi County, American Samoa, Maoputasi County on Tutuila ...

dock and deported a second time due to his involvement in the Mau movement. Ripley expressed his frustrations in an article published on October 11, 1921, in the ''Record-Herald'' and in a piece for ''The Nation'' titled "Our American Autocracy in Samoa." His wife, Madge, contributed by writing a detailed letter to Mrs.

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he was one of the most ...

, sharing her perspective on the situation. The Ripleys also addressed various men's and women's clubs and organizations in California, encouraging their members to protest the U.S. Naval Administration's actions in Sāmoa. Their efforts led to a wave of letters sent to the President and the U.S. Secretary of the Navy, denouncing the administration's methods as un-American.{{rp, 203

References

1883 births 1961 deaths American Samoan activists American people of Samoan descent American Samoan businesspeople Mayors of Richmond, California