Joseph John "Joe" Urusemal (born March 19, 1951) is a Micronesian

political figure A politician is a person who participates in policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles or duties tha ...

who served as the sixth

President of the Federated States of Micronesia The president of the Federated States of Micronesia is the head of state and government of the Federated States of Micronesia The Federated States of Micronesia (, abbreviated FSM), or simply Micronesia, is an island country in Micronesia ...

from 2003 until 2007. Urusemal is married to former First Lady Olania Latileilam, who is from

Satawal Satawal is a solitary coral atoll of one island with about 500 people on just over 1 km2 located in the Caroline Islands in the Pacific Ocean. It forms a legislative district in Yap State in the Federated States of Micronesia. Satawal is the ...

. The couple have four children: B.J., Tarsis, Craig and Elenita.

Early life

Urusemal was born on the island of

Woleai Woleai (), also known as Oleai, is a coral atoll of 22 islands in the western Caroline Islands in the Pacific Ocean, forming a legislative district in the Yap State in the Federated States of Micronesia, and located approximately west-northwest ...

in the State of Yap. He attended secondary school on the island of Chuuk (then called Truk) at Xavier High School, a

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

institution. He would graduate from Xavier in 1976. Urusemal went on to attend and graduate from

Rockhurst University Rockhurst University is a private Jesuit university in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 as Rockhurst College, Rockhurst University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It enrolled 2,980 students in 2019. History In 1909, Fr. ...

(then called Rockhurst College) in

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

, Missouri, United States. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in

Administration of Justice The administration of justice is the process by which the legal system of a government is executed. The presumed goal of such an administration is to provide justice for all those accessing the legal system. Australia In ''Attorney General for ...

from Rockhurst, a Roman Catholic Jesuit university. Upon graduation, Urusemal accepted a position with the

Jackson County, Missouri Jackson County is located in the western portion of the U.S. state of Missouri, on the border with Kansas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 717,204. making it the second-most populous county in the state (af ...

, government, including the county Department of Corrections until he returned to Micronesia in 1982. Following his return to Micronesia, Urusemal became a teacher and guidance counselor for the Outer Islands High School on his native Yap.

Political career

Urusemal was elected to four-year term in the Fifth

Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

in 1987. He was elected as Yap's at-large representative. Urusemal rose to leadership positions during his parliamentary career. He served as

Floor Leader A parliamentary leader is a political title or a descriptive term used in various countries to designate the person leading a parliamentary group or caucus in a legislative body, whether it be a national or sub-national legislature. They are thei ...

for twelve years during the Seventh until the Twelfth FSM congresses. During his political career representing Yap, Urusemal served on several congressional committees including Health, Education and Social Affairs and the Judiciary and Governmental Operations committees. The president and vice president of the Federated States of Micronesia are elected directly by Congress and must be a duly elected member at the time of election. Due to the defeat of the then-incumbent president, Leo Falcam, in the previous elections, Falcam was unable to stand for re-election. On May 11, 2003, Congress elected Urusemal as President and he took office immediately. On May 11, 2007, the 15th Congress convened. A new

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The p ...

was held and Manny Mori was elected president. He likewise took office immediately.

External links

Official Biography of Joseph J. UrusemalPacific Magazine: Yap Gets FSM Presidency:Urusemal Was A Surprise To SomePacific Magazine: FSM: Yap leader is new FSM presidentChuuk's Manny Mori New FSM President
{{DEFAULTSORT:Urusemal, Joseph 1951 births Living people People from Yap State Presidents of the Federated States of Micronesia Members of the Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia Rockhurst University alumni Federated States of Micronesia Roman Catholics Federated States of Micronesia expatriates in the United States