Amata Catherine Coleman Radewagen ( ; born December 29, 1947), commonly called Aumua Amata ( ), is an

American Samoa American Samoa is an Territories of the United States, unincorporated and unorganized territory of the United States located in the Polynesia region of the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean. Centered on , it is southeast of the island count ...

n politician who is the current

delegate Delegate or delegates may refer to: * Delegate, New South Wales, a town in Australia * Delegate (CLI), a computer programming technique * Delegate (American politics), a representative in any of various political organizations * Delegate (United S ...

for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from

. Radewagen, a Republican, was elected on November 4, 2014, after defeating Democratic incumbent

Eni Faleomavaega Eni Fa'aua'a Hunkin Faleomavaega Jr. ( ; August 15, 1943 – February 22, 2017) 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 State ...

; she was the first-ever Republican delegate since the office had been created in 1970 and began her tenure on January 3, 2015. She also serves as the national committeewoman for the Republican Party of American Samoa. Amata is the first woman to represent American Samoa in the U.S. Congress. By winning 75.4% of the vote in her

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

re-election, Aumua Amata attained the highest number of votes in American Samoa history. She won reelection with 83.3 percent of the votes in a three-way race in

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

. She has been the scheduling director for the United States House of Representatives majority leadership for eight years. Radewagen has been the most senior member of the

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is the primary committee of the Republican Party of the United States. Its members are chosen by the state delegations at the national convention every four years. It is responsible for developing and pr ...

since 2012. She was a member of both the executive committee for the 2016–17 presidential transition and the executive committee for the 2017 Republican National Committee Chairman's Transition Committee.

Early life and education

Amata Catherine Coleman Radewagen is the daughter of

Peter Tali Coleman Peter Tali Coleman (December 8, 1919 – April 28, 1997) was an American Samoan politician and lawyer. Coleman was the first and only person of Samoan descent to be appointed governor of American Samoa between 1956 and 1961 and later becam ...

, the first popularly-elected

Governor of American Samoa This is a list of Governor (United States), governors, etc. of the part of the Samoan Islands (now comprising American Samoa) under United States administration since 1900. From 1900 to 1978 governors were appointed by the Federal government o ...

, and Nora Stewart Coleman, the former

First Lady of American Samoa The First Lady of American Samoa is the title attributed to the wife of the governor of American Samoa. To date, there have been no first gentlemen of American Samoa. The current first lady is Ella Mauga, wife of Governor Lemanu Peleti Mauga, who ...

. Her father was

Samoan Samoan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Samoan Islands, an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean ** Something of, from, or related to Samoa, a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands ** Something of, from, ...

; her mother was of

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

Native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians; , , , and ) are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, Indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiʻi was set ...

, and

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

descent. Radewagen has twelve siblings. She attended

Sacred Hearts Academy Sacred Hearts Academy, also known as Sacred Hearts or SHA, is located on 3253 Waialae Avenue, in the town of Kaimuki in Honolulu, Hawaii, is a historic Roman Catholic college preparatory school for girls founded in 1909 to serve the needs of ear ...

in Honolulu, Hawaii, for secondary education and graduated with a degree in psychology from the

University of Guam University of Guam () (U.O.G.) is a public university, public land-grant university in Mangilao, Guam. It is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and offers thirty-four degree programs at the undergraduate level and ele ...

in 1975. She also took classes at

Loyola Marymount University Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit and Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. LMU enrolls over 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students, making it the largest Catholic university on the west coast of the ...

in Los Angeles, California, and

George Mason University George Mason University (GMU) is a Public university, public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., the university is named in honor of George Mason, a Founding Father ...

in Fairfax, Virginia. She married Fred Radewagen in December 1971. The couple has three children and two grandchildren.Congress, Joint Committee on Printing (2016). ''Congressional Directory 2015-2016''. United States Congress. Page 300. . Radewagen holds the orator ( talking chief) title of ''Aumua'' from the capital of

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 ...

—her hometown and where she is a registered voter. From 1984 to 1997, Amata was the chief diplomatic correspondent for the ''Washington Pacific Report''.

Political career

Aumua Amata has been an executive assistant to the first Delegate-at-Large from American Samoa. From 1997 to 1999, Radewagen served on the staff of United States Representative

Phil Crane Philip Miller Crane (November 3, 1930 – November 8, 2014) was an American politician. He was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 2005, representing the 8th District of Illinois in the northwestern s ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

."RADEWAGEN, Aumua Amata Coleman"
''

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress The ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress'' (Bioguide) is a biographical dictionary of all present and former members of the United States Congress and its predecessor, the Continental Congress. Also included are Delegates fr ...

''. Retrieved April 2, 2015. She served on the staff of United States Representative J. C. Watts, Jr. of

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

from 1999 to 2003. After that, she served on the staff of the

House Republican Conference The House Republican Conference is the party caucus for Republicans in the United States House of Representatives. It hosts meetings, and is the primary forum for communicating the party's message to members. The conference produces a daily pu ...

from 2003 to 2005. Radewagen first ran for Congress in the 1994 elections against Democrat Eni F. H. Faleomavaega. She failed to gain the nomination of the Republican Party of American Samoa in 1996 and 2000, and she ran as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

in the 1998 elections. Radewagen was appointed in 2001, by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

, as a Commissioner on the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI); she chaired the Community Security Committee."Biography"
''U.S. Representative Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen''. Retrieved April 15, 2015. Radewagen was the only Pacific Islander on the 15-member commission. Since 1994, Radewagen has participated in every federal election. She was the first woman to run for the delegate position. Since 1986, she has represented the

American Samoa Republican Party Republican Party of American Samoa () is the affiliate of the U.S. Republican Party in American Samoa. It is based in the territorial capital of Pago Pago. The party was founded by Peter Tali Coleman. Coleman was in 1956 the first Samoan to be ...

in the

. Radewagen is the most senior member. In 2019, she was reappointed by

President Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

to serve on the President's Advisory Commission for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for a second stint.

United States House of Representatives

2014 election

Radewagen ran for American Samoa's at-large congressional district in the 2014 elections. She defeated the Democratic incumbent Delegate

, 42% to 31%; former Democratic governor

Togiola Tulafono Togiola Talalelei A. Tulafono (born February 28, 1947) is an American Samoan politician and lawyer who served as the sixth governor of American Samoa. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He had previously served as the seventh lieutenant gove ...

finished third at 11% in the nine-way contest.

2016 election

Radewagen was re-elected in 2016, receiving the highest number of votes in American Samoa history for any elective office, winning 75.4% of the vote cast.

Tenure

Radewagen assumed office on January 3, 2015. Upon taking office, she became the Republican Party's highest-ranking Asian-Pacific federal officeholder in the United States. Radewagen has a bipartisan track record. She was ranked the 28th and 14th most bipartisan Representative in the 114th and

115th United States Congress The 115th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States of America federal government, composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 2017, to January ...

es, respectively, by The Lugar Center and McCourt School of Public Policy's Bipartisan Index.

Committee assignments

* Committee on Foreign Affairs ** Subcommittee on Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations ** Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific (vice chair) * Committee on Natural Resources ** Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs ** Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries * Committee on Veterans' Affairs (vice chair) ** Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations ** Subcommittee on Health

Caucus memberships

* Congressional Western Caucus *

Climate Solutions Caucus The Climate Solutions Caucus is a bipartisan caucus of U.S. legislators supported by the Citizens' Climate Lobby whose members work to achieve action addressing the risks from climate change. The House of Representatives and Senate each have a c ...

Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans The Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans (Turkey Caucus) was established by US Congressmen Robert Wexler (D-Florida), Ed Whitfield (R-Kentucky) and Kay Granger (R-Texas) in March 2001. The Turkey Caucus is a bi-partisan platform fo ...

Election results

*''Note: Elections in American Samoa are nonpartisan and candidates are not listed with party affiliation. Partisan identification is for informational purposes''

Other activity

Radewagen has been involved in helping build democratic institutions internationally. As a trainer since 1992, she has participated in missions to

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...

, and

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

for the

International Republican Institute The International Republican Institute (IRI) is an American nonprofit organization founded in 1983 and funded and supported by the United States federal government. Most of its board is drawn from the Republican Party. Its public mission is to a ...

and the

International Foundation for Electoral Systems The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) is an international, non-profit organization, non-profit organisation founded in 1987. Based in Arlington County, Virginia, Arlington, Virginia, United States, the organization assists a ...

, among other activities. She began advocating on behalf of

breast cancer awareness Breast cancer awareness is an effort to raising awareness, raise awareness and reduce the Social stigma, stigma of breast cancer through education about Breast cancer screening, screening, Cancer signs and symptoms, symptoms, and Breast cancer ...

after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1993. She is a founding member of the American Samoa Society and a life member of the

Capitol Hill Club The National Republican Club of Capitol Hill, commonly known as the Capitol Hill Club, is a private club for Republicans in Washington, D.C. History It was established in 1951 by former New Jersey Congressman James C. Auchincloss, who with 100 ...

. She has also been a member of organizations such as the Guam Society of America, Hawaii State Society, Women's Foreign Policy Group, and the

Independent Women's Forum The Independent Women's Forum (IWF) is an American conservative, non-profit organization focused on economic policy issues of concern to women.La Mesa, CA La Mesa () is a city in San Diego County, California, United States, located east of downtown San Diego in Southern California. The population was 61,121 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 57,065 at the 2010 United States Ce ...

, as well as the Trailblazer Award from the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the Republican Party in the United States. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal o ...

. She is a current board member at the Field House 100 American Samoa.

References

External links

U.S. Representative Aumua Amata
official U.S. House website * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Radewagen, Amata Coleman Living people 1947 births Delegates to the United States House of Representatives from American Samoa Female members of the United States House of Representatives Republican National Committee members Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from American Samoa American Samoa Republicans American Samoan Roman Catholics American Samoan women in politics 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American women politicians University of Guam alumni American Samoan people of Chinese descent American Samoan people of German descent American Samoan people of Native Hawaiian descent American Samoan people of Scottish descent Members of the United States House of Representatives of Asian descent Native Hawaiian people People from Pago Pago Candidates in the 1994 United States elections Candidates in the 1996 United States elections Candidates in the 1998 United States elections Candidates in the 2000 United States elections Candidates in the 2002 United States elections Candidates in the 2004 United States elections Candidates in the 2006 United States elections Candidates in the 2008 United States elections Candidates in the 2010 United States elections Candidates in the 2012 United States elections Asian conservatism in the United States 21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives Samoan people of German descent American people of German-Samoan descent