Felix Flores Ungacta (November 8, 1937 – October 24, 2016) was a

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

anian politician and businessman. He served as the mayor of Hagåtña, the capital city and

seat of government The seat of government is (as defined by ''Brewer's Politics'') "the building, complex of buildings or the city from which a government exercises its authority". In most countries, the nation's Capital city, capital is also seat of its governmen ...

, from January 5, 1981 to January 3, 2005, becoming one of the territory's longest-serving mayors in history. The village's name was changed from Agana to Hagåtña in 1998, while the office he held was renamed from Commissioner to Mayor during his tenure. He was a member of the

Republican Party of Guam Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Biography

Ungacta was born on Guam on November 8, 1937 to Felix U. Ungacta and Engarcia Flores Ungacta. He spent twenty-five years in elected office in Hagåtña. He was first elected as the Commissioner of Agana (which later became the Mayor) in 1980 and took office 1981. During his early tenure during the 1980s and early 1990s, Agana saw an economic resurgence with the construction of several major new developments, including the Sagan Dinana and Chamorro Village (Ysengsong Chamorro), as well as the renovation of Paseo Stadium. However, the area experienced an economic downturn during the late 1990s due to the relocations of government offices from Hagåtña to nearby

Tiyan The Ezhavas, () also known as ''Thiyya'' or ''Tiyyar'' () in the Malabar region, and Chovar () in the south, are a community with origins in the region of India presently known as Kerala, where in the 2010s they constituted about 23% of the po ...

. As mayor, Ungacta fought to maintain the resources and funding necessary to retain Hagåtña's status as the island's political, cultural and commercial center. Outside of politics, Ungacta and his wife owned and operated a longtime

hot dog stand A hot dog stand is a business that sells hot dogs, usually from an external counter. Hot dog stands can be located on a public thoroughfare, near a sports stadium, in a shopping mall, or at a fair. They are often found on the streets of major A ...

on the beach in Hagåtña. Ungacta died in Guam on October 24, 2016, at the age of 78 in

Tamuning Tamuning, also known as Tamuning-Tumon-Harmon (), is a village located on the western shore of the United States territory of Guam. The village of Tamuning is the economic center of Guam, containing tourist center Tumon, Harmon Industrial Park, ...

. He was survived by his wife, Evelyn Martinez Duenas, and their four children, Felix Ungacta Jr., Grace Ungacta Bone, Noel Ungacta and Jonah Ungacta. Ungacta's funeral was held at

Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral Basilica Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral Basilica () is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Guam. It is the seat of the archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Agaña. It is located on the site where the island's first Catholic church was constructed i ...

in Hagåtña on November 4, 2016, with burial at Guam Veterans Cemetery.

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 ...

Eddie Calvo Edward Jerome Baza Calvo (born August 29, 1961) is an American politician who served as the eighth governor of Guam from January 3, 2011 to January 7, 2019. A member of the Republican Party, Calvo was a five-term Senator within the Legislature ...

ordered flags flown at half staff in Ungacta's honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ungacta, Felix 1937 births 2016 deaths 20th-century mayors of places in Guam 21st-century mayors of places in Guam Mayors of Hagåtña Guamanian businesspeople Guamanian Republicans Guamanian Roman Catholics