Frank Blas Aguon Jr. (born June 21, 1966) is 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

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, he served in the

Legislature of Guam The Legislature of Guam () is the law-making body for the United States territory of Guam. The unicameral legislative branch consists of fifteen senators, each serving for a two-year term. All members of the legislature are elected at-large with ...

from 1997 to 2007, 2009 to 2011 and from 2013 to 2019. He is a former Vice-Speaker from 2003 to 2005. Senator Aguon won re-election by his 1st place with more votes in 2014 and 2016, than his 2nd-place run in 2012. Aguon has also run as a candidate for

Lieutenant Governor of Guam The Guamanian self-governing government consists of a locally elected List of Governors of Guam, governor, List of current United States lieutenant governors, lieutenant governor and a fifteen-member Legislature of Guam, Legislature. The first p ...

in the 2006 and 2010 gubernatorial elections and was the running mate of former Guam Governor

Carl Gutierrez Carl Tommy Cruz Gutierrez (born October 15, 1941) is an American (U.S. citizen) politician who was the sixth governor of Guam, serving two four-year terms with Lieutenant Governor Madeleine Bordallo from January 2, 1995, to January 6, 2003. Guti ...

in the 2010 election. In February 2017, he announced his intentions to run in the

2018 Guamanian gubernatorial election The 2018 Guam gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the next governor of Guam, concurrently with the election of Guam elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections. In ...

with his running mate, former U.S. Attorney Alicia Limtiaco; in August 2018 he lost the Democratic primary. He ran as a

write-in candidate A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be poss ...

for the November general election, finishing third with 22% of the vote.

Early life

Aguon was born , to the late Francisco Blas Aguon, Sr. (1936–2005) and Marcelina Leon Guerrero Aguon. He was raised on a farm in Guam. Aguon attended St. Francis School and graduated from Father Dueñas Memorial School in 1984, a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

high school in

Mangilao Mangilao is a village on the eastern shore of the United States territory of Guam. The village's population has decreased slightly since the island's 2010 census. Cliffs lie along much of the village's shoreline provide dramatic views, including ...

. He received his

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 ...

in 1988 from the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1864, it has an enrollment of approximately 5,700 undergraduate students and 7,200 graduate students. It is classified among "R1: D ...

. He continued his education and obtained a

M.B.A. A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...

also from the University of Denver in 1990.

Personal life

Aguon is married to Jennifer Uncangco Lujan, who played for the Women's

Softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...

team won a

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...

for Guam at the 1998

Micronesian Games The Micronesian Games (or Micro Games, MicroGames) are a quadrennial international multi-sport event within the Micronesian region. The Games were first held in 1969 in Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands). The 2010 Micronesian Games were initially du ...

Palau Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean. The Republic of Palau consists of approximately 340 islands and is the western part of the Caroline Islands ...

, Aguon has four children. He is member of St. Francis Roman Catholic Parish on Guam.

Political career

Aguon began working in government in 1988. He has served as the director of the Guam

Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce (DOC) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government. It is responsible for gathering data for business ...

, a

research analyst Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to c ...

and the chairman of the Guam Territorial Planning Council. Aguon enlisted in the Guam Air National Guard in 1999. He was deployed to

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

in 2007 and 2008 as part of

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response ...

Guam Legislature

Aguon was first elected as a senator in the 24th

Guam Legislature The Legislature of Guam () is the law-making body for the United States territory of Guam. The unicameral legislative branch consists of fifteen senators, each serving for a two-year term. All members of the legislature are elected at-large with ...

in 1997. He has since served six two-year terms in the legislature. In 2003 Aguon has served as Vice Speaker during one term in office. His committee assignments have included the Committee on

Micronesia Micronesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, consisting of approximately 2,000 small islands in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. It has a close shared cultural history with three other island regions: Maritime Southeast Asia to the west, Poly ...

Veterans A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in an job, occupation or Craft, field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in the military, armed forces. A topic o ...

, and Military Affairs as well as the Committee on Education.

Underwood-Aguon campaign (2006)

Aguon was the

running mate A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position (such as the vice presidential candidate running with a pre ...

of Guam gubernatorial candidate Robert A. Underwood in 2006. In September the Underwood-Aguon ticket won in the primary election after they defeated by the former governor

and senator BJ Cruz after that Guiterrez is now endorsed to former congressman Underwood. However, the Underwood-Aguon ticket was defeated in the general election by incumbent Republican

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 ...

Felix Perez Camacho and Lieutenant Governor Michael Cruz.

Gutierrez-Aguon campaign (2010)

In 2010, former Guam Governor

chose Aguon as his running mate for lieutenant governor in the 2010 gubernatorial election. Gutierrez and Aguon ran unopposed in the primary, marking the first uncontested Democratic primary election for governor in forty years. Gutierrez and Aguon received 8,140 votes in the primary election. Gutierrez and Aguon would lose the 2010 general election to

Eddie Baza 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 ...

and Ray Tenorio by 487 votes. Aguon along with Gutierrez would file a lawsuit challenging the recount. In February 2012 Aguon requested to drop the suit.Steve Limtiaco, "Aguon wants out of suit. Gutierrez to continue challenging 2010 election," February 23, 2012, Pacific Daily News, http://www.guampdn.com/article/20120223/NEWS01/202230321/Aguon-wants-out-suit-Gutierrez-continue-challenging-2010-election?odyssey=tab, topnews, text, Frontpage

Return to Guam Legislature

In 2012, Aguon ran again for island-wide office as senator in the Guam Legislature. He also worked with campaign treasurer J. Arthur "Art" Chan, Jr. who is a working engineering from Hawaiian Rock Products. A returning newcomer to politics, Aguon received more votes than three incumbent senators, finishing number two, in the Democratic Party primary with 7,572 votes. Frank Aguon, Jr. campaign gained more momentum between the primary and the general elections, where he placed number two island-wide with 19,518 votes, only one former senator received more votes.

32nd Guam Legislature

Senator Aguon was return to his office and sworn in as a senator on January 7, 2013, with his wife, Jennifer and his kids in attendance. As chairman of the Guam US Military Relocation, Homeland Security, Veteran's Affairs and Judiciary. On January 25, 2013 Senator Aguon introduced Bill No. 24-32 (COR) of the Guam Code Annotated relative to waiver of fees for immediate kin of fallen heroes. In December 2014 Senator Aguon introduced at bill to amend Section 1 of Public Law 32-208; relative to removing "Senators of I Liheslaturan Guahan" from the Competitive Wage Act of 2014. In December Senators Aguon and Rodriguez introduced Bill No. 412-32 (COR) Guam Code Annotated, relative to requiring abortion providers to include gestational age in abortion reports.

2014 election

On June 25, 2014, Aguon filed for candidacy with the Guam Election Commission for another term as a Democratic senator for 33rd Guam Legislature. Aguon's campaign treasurer is now Epifanio Winston M. Ilicito replacing J. Arthur Chan, Jr. for his working engineer. In his bid for re-election, Senator Aguon was first place, with 6,556 votes or 79.3% of the Democratic primary vote. Senator Aguon won re-election with 1st place with more votes in 2014 than his 2nd-place run in 2012.

33rd Guam Legislature

After placing number 1 in the island-wide election, Aguon was chosen by his colleagues in the 33rd Guam Legislature to lead the Committee on Guam US Military Relocation, Homeland Security, Veteran's Affairs and Judiciary.

Work as senator

On January 21, 2015 Senator Aguon introduced Bill No. 27-33 (COR) an act relative to recognizing that public employees with superior ratings in Fiscal Year 2002 were not compensated for meritorious performance in accordance with the provisions contained in §6203, Title 4, Guam Code Annotated; authorizing the application of the Merit Bonus Program for Fiscal Year 2002; and providing for such payments. On January 22, 2015 Senator Aguon introduced Bill No. 28-33 (COR) a relative to removing the time restriction for the Guam Police Department Headquarters, Administrative and other Agency Sections from occupying Government-owned facilities at Tiyan, Guam; through amending Section 2 of Public Law No. 26-100. In February Senator Aguon introduced Bill No. 44-33 (COR) to properly classify law enforcement personnel of the government of Guam by renaming "Attendance Officers" as "Truancy Officers" to reflect practice throughout the United States and classify such officers as law enforcement under the provisions of Public Law 29-105; and to provide uniforms and equipment to truancy officers. On March 4 Senator Aguon introduced Bill No. 229.33 (COR) relative to the temporary employment of retired conservation officers and limited-term conservation officers recruits within the Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources of the Department of Agriculture should a critical need arise due to military activation or long-term disability. In June Senators Aguon and Tom Ada introduced Bill No. 333-33 (COR) of Guam Code Annotated, and to require quarterly reports be transmitted to I Maga'lahen Guåhan and the Speaker of I Liheslaturan Guåhan of the same, relative to the voluntary placement of a distinguishing mark for Guam Veterans on the Guam driver's licences and the Guam identification card.

2016 election

On June 13, 2016, Aguon filed for candidacy with the Guam Election Commission for a next term as a Democratic senator in the Guam Legislature. Aguon won re-election for another first place with more votes in 2016.

2018 election

Aguon-Limtiaco campaign (2018)

On February 21, 2017, Aguon confirmed he intended to seek the Democratic Party nomination in the 2018 Guam gubernatorial election with his running mate Alicia Limtiaco, a former US Attorney (Guam and CNMI) and Guam Attorney General. They challenged

Lou Leon Guerrero Lourdes Aflague "Lou" Leon Guerrero (born November 8, 1950) is an American politician and former banking executive, lobbyist, and nurse who has served as the ninth governor of Guam since 2019.Haidee Eugenio Gilbert''Crowd: Governor's speech inspi ...

with Josh Tenorio, former governor Carl Gutierrez with Fred Bordallo, and Dennis Rodriguez with Dave Cruz. While he did not prevail in the Democratic primary, he ran a write-in campaign in the general election.

Electoral history

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Aguon, Frank 1966 births 20th-century Guamanian politicians 21st-century Guamanian politicians United States Air Force personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Chamorro people Guamanian Democrats Guamanian Roman Catholics Living people Members of the Legislature of Guam University of Denver alumni