Eugene Friedrich Paul (3 November 1901 – 28 December 1971) was a Western Samoan businessman and politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly in two spells between 1948 and 1961, was the first Leader of Government Business in 1958, and held the posts of Minister of Economic Development and

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

between 1957 and 1961.

Biography

Paul attended German Government School and the Marist Brothers school in

Apia Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga. The Apia Urban A ...

.Mr. E.F. Paul
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', February 1972, p115 After leaving school he joined the American military to fight in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. When he returned to Samoa after the war, he worked for P.C. Fabricus and O.F. Nelson. He married Flora in 1924, and started his own business, Gold Star Transport, in 1926. In 1935 he founded Samoa Theatres Ltd, and in 1945 established the Samoa Printing and Publishing Company. Paul was elected to the Legislative Assembly as a

United Citizens Party The United Citizens Party (UCP) is an American political party first organized in 1969 in the U.S. state of South Carolina by John Roy Harper II and others, in response to the state Democratic Party's opposition to nominating black candidates. T ...

candidate in the

1948 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1948. Previous: List of elections in 1947 Next: List of elections in 1949 Africa * 1948 Mauritian general election * 1948 South African general election * 1948 Southern Rhodesian general election As ...

, topping the poll in the European constituency. He topped the poll again in

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...

, but did not contest the

1954 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1954. Africa * French legislative by-election, 1954 (Guinea) * 1954 Southern Rhodesian general election * 1954 Gambian legislative election * 1954 Gold Coast legislative election Asia * 1954 Iranian le ...

. Returning to politics three years later, he topped the poll again in the 1957 elections. Following the elections, he was appointed Minister of Economic Development in the Executive Council. In February 1958 he was elected the first Leader of Government Business. In 1959 a full cabinet system was introduced. Paul ran for election to the post of Prime Minister, but was defeated by Fiame Mata'afa as Samoan MLAs preferred to have a full Samoan in post.Mata'afa, friend to all, who led Samoa 'long and loyally'
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', July 1975, p7 He was subsequently appointed Minister of Finance by Mata'afa, but did not contest the 1961 elections and retired from politics. Having founded

Polynesian Airlines Samoa Airways, formerly Polynesian Airlines, is the flag carrier of Samoa. The airline was founded in 1959 as "Polynesian Airlines", providing domestic and international flights throughout the South Pacific. International operations were tempor ...

in 1959,About
Samoa Airways he became its chair in 1960 and also served as president of the Chamber of Commerce. He was made an OBE in the

1962 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1962 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countrie ...

. He died in the

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in December 1971 following a spinal operation, and was survived by his wife and three children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paul, Eugene 1901 births American military personnel of World War I 20th-century Samoan businesspeople Members of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa Government ministers of Samoa Ministers of finance of Samoa 1971 deaths Officers of the Order of the British Empire