Grace Y. Sam is a Palauan politician who served as a member of the

Koror State Legislature Koror is the state comprising the main commercial centre of the Republic of Palau. It consists of several islands, the most prominent being Koror Island (also ''Oreor Island''). It is Palau’s most populous state. History In the oral tradition of ...

. Sam was born on November 2, 1949, to a

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

family. She was educated in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

and

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 ...

, where she graduated from the Bethania Girls High School and then taught there for one year. She received legal training at the district attorney's office for the

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 ...

in Palau and

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

, and attended the

University of Hawaii A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

. In 1978, she became an assistant district attorney. In 1981, Sam worked for the Palau Constitutional Convention as a staff translator. She was elected as a delegate to the Koror State Constitutional Convention in 1983, and then to the Koror State Legislature that same year. The Palauan president

Haruo Remeliik Haruo Ignacio Remeliik (1 June 1931 – 30 June 1985) was the first President of Palau from 2 March 1981 until his assassination on 30 June 1985. He is buried at Kloulklubed in his home state of Peleliu. Remeliik was of mixed Japanese and Pala ...

appointed her to the National Reapportionment Commission in 1984. She also served as an assistant clerk of court for the

Supreme Court of Palau The Supreme Court of Palau is the Supreme court, highest court of Palau. Article X of the Constitution of Palau, Constitution vests the Supreme Court with judicial power and provides for its operation and jurisdiction. The Supreme Court is divi ...

and the

Court of Common Pleas A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...

References

1949 births 20th-century Palauan women politicians 20th-century Palauan politicians Living people Palauan lawyers Political office-holders in Koror University of Hawaiʻi alumni {{Oceania-law-bio-stub