Eulogio "Eloy" Songao Inos (September 26, 1949 – December 28, 2015) was a Northern Marianan politician who served as the eighth governor of the Northern Mariana Islands from 2013 to 2015. Inos, a member of the Republican Party, also served as the eighth

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

from 2009 to 2013. He was nominated as lieutenant governor by

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Benigno Fitial Benigno Repeki Fitial (born November 27, 1945) is a Northern Marianan politician who served as the seventh governor of the Northern Mariana Islands. The second longest-serving governor in CNMI history, Fitial was elected on November 6, 2005, assum ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the

resignation Resignation is the formal act of relinquishing or vacating one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or ...

of Lieutenant Governor Timothy Villagomez. Villagomez was

convicted In law, a conviction is the determination by a court of law that a defendant is guilty of a crime. A conviction may follow a guilty plea that is accepted by the court, a jury trial in which a verdict of guilty is delivered, or a trial by jud ...

on federal

fraud In law, fraud is intent (law), intentional deception to deprive a victim of a legal right or to gain from a victim unlawfully or unfairly. Fraud can violate Civil law (common law), civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrato ...

charges. Inos was confirmed by the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and was sworn into the lieutenant governor office on May 1, 2009. He was elected to a full term as lieutenant governor in November 2009. Inos became governor on February 20, 2013, following the resignation of Benigno Fitial, after he was impeached by the

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

for fraud-related activities. Inos was elected to a full-term as governor in the 2014 gubernatorial election. Inos died in office on December 28, 2015, local time, in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

, at the age of 66.

Biography

Personal life

Eloy Inos attended Mount Carmel School on

Saipan Saipan () is the largest island and capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, an unincorporated Territories of the United States, territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. According to 2020 estimates by the United States Cens ...

, graduating there from high school in May 1967. Inos obtained a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

accounting Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the process of recording and processing information about economic entity, economic entities, such as businesses and corporations. Accounting measures the results of an organization's economic activit ...

(

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

) 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 May 1981. He also studied business administration while at the University of Guam. Inos has five children. He was the brother-in-law of the late Education Commissioner Rita Inos.

Career

Inos worked as a

tax A tax is a mandatory financial charge or levy imposed on an individual or legal entity by a governmental organization to support government spending and public expenditures collectively or to regulate and reduce negative externalities. Tax co ...

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

for the now defunct

Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) was a United Nations trust territory in Micronesia administered by the United States from 1947 to 1994. The Imperial Japanese South Seas Mandate had been seized by the U.S. during the Pacifi ...

revenue In accounting, revenue is the total amount of income generated by the sale of product (business), goods and services related to the primary operations of a business. Commercial revenue may also be referred to as sales or as turnover. Some compan ...

division. Inos was also a former Vice President of the Tan Holdings Corporation, one of the largest

garment Clothing (also known as clothes, garments, dress, apparel, or attire) is any item worn on a human human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin s ...

manufacturers in the Northern Mariana Islands. He was elected to the First Saipan and Northern Islands Municipal Council, including a stint as council chairman, from 1990 until 1992. Inos was appointed the Secretary of Finance in the Fitial administration. As Secretary Inos oversaw the financial affairs of the Northern Mariana Islands' government, including

taxation A tax is a mandatory financial charge or levy imposed on an individual or legal person, legal entity by a governmental organization to support government spending and public expenditures collectively or to Pigouvian tax, regulate and reduce nega ...

treasury A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry; in a business context, corporate treasury. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be ...

electronic data processing Electronic data processing (EDP) or business information processing can refer to the use of automated methods to process commercial data. Typically, this uses relatively simple, repetitive activities to process large volumes of similar information ...

procurement Procurement is the process of locating and agreeing to terms and purchasing goods, services, or other works from an external source, often with the use of a tendering or competitive bidding process. The term may also refer to a contractual ...

and

customs Customs is an authority or Government agency, agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling International trade, the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out ...

. Inos became Secretary on January 9, 2006, and held the post until May 1, 2009.

Lieutenant governor

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Timothy Villagomez, who had held office since 2006, issued his resignation on April 24, 2009 following his

conviction In law, a conviction is the determination by a court of law that a defendant is Guilty (law), guilty of a crime. A conviction may follow a guilty plea that is accepted by the court, a jury trial in which a verdict of guilty is delivered, or a ...

on federal

charges. Villagomez became the highest ranking CNMI official ever convicted at the time. According to Article III, Section 3 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, when a vacancy is created for lieutenant governor, the

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

must appoint a replacement with the

confirmation In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant (religion), covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. The ceremony typically involves laying on o ...

of the Northern Mariana Islands Senate. On April 27, 2009, Governor Fitial nominated Inos, the then Secretary of Finance in his administration, as the new lieutenant governor to serve for the rest of Villagomez's original term in office. Fitial and Inos had first met years earlier while both were working for the government of the

. Inos was unanimously confirmed by all nine members of the Senate in a vote on May 1, 2009. More than a dozen community and political leaders had offered testimony in support of Inos'

during the hearing, with no opposition by any of the 20 House members. Inos had noted the difficulties of replacing his predecessor during the confirmation hearing, "It’s a very difficult situation. would have liked to go ahead and fill the position through the normal election process but again the situation presents itself. We have to fill the vacancy. It’s a constitutional mandate. I am very happy that I have an overwhelming support from the people." Governor Fitial swore Inos into office shortly after the conclusion of the Senate's confirmation vote. In taking office through appointment, Inos became the first un-elected Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands in history. On July 23, 2009, Governor Fitial and Lt. Governor Inos filed to run for re-election with the Election Commission. Fitial won re-election, and Inos was elected to a full term, in a gubernatorial runoff election held on November 23, 2009, defeating Republican Heinz Hofschneider. He was originally scheduled to serve as Lt. Governor for a five-year term, instead of the unusual four years due to changes in the election calendar.

Governor

Inos became governor on February 20, 2013, following the resignation of

. Fitial was impeached by the House, for multiple counts, related to the commission of felonies, corruption and to neglect of duty, but resigned before his trial before the

. Inos won election to a full four-year term in the 2014 gubernatorial election.

Death

Governor Eloy Inos, died in office at the age of 66 while recovering from open heart surgery in

, on Monday afternoon, December 28, 2015, Pacific Standard Time (corresponding to 9:45 a.m. Tuesday morning, December 29, Chamorro Standard Time in the Northern Mariana Islands). Inos, who also suffered from diabetes, had been hospitalised in Seattle since November 2015 for treatment. Inos' lieutenant governor, Ralph Torres, was sworn in as Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands on December 29, 2015. President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

called Inos a "tireless advocate". Funeral services for Inos were held on January 12, 2016, which the governor of neighboring Guam, Eddie Calvo, proclaimed as a day of mourning.

References

External links

Lt. Governor Eloy Inos official biography
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Inos, Eloy 1949 births 2015 deaths Cabinet secretaries of the Northern Mariana Islands Chamorro people Covenant Party (Northern Mariana Islands) politicians Deaths from cancer in Washington (state) Governors of the Northern Mariana Islands Lieutenant governors of the Northern Mariana Islands Northern Mariana Islands businesspeople Republican Party (Northern Mariana Islands) politicians Republican Party governors of the Northern Mariana Islands Saipan and Northern Islands Municipal Council members University of Guam alumni