Savali Talavou Ale (born September 5, 1952) is an

American Samoa American Samoa is an Territories of the United States, unincorporated and unorganized territory of the United States located in the Polynesia region of the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean. Centered on , it is southeast of the island count ...

n politician. He has served as the Speaker of the American Samoa House of Representatives since 2007. Ale, who was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1981, is also the longest serving current member of the

American Samoa House of Representatives The American Samoa House of Representatives is the lower house of the American Samoa Fono. The House consists of 21 members serving two-year terms, with 20 popularly elected representatives, and one delegate from Swains Island elected in a publ ...

, as of 2015. He is originally from Fagalii, American Samoa, but now resides in the village of Iliili. Ale married his wife, Sakala Mautofu Ale, July 16, 1977, at a ceremony in

Carson, California Carson is a city in the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay and the Los Angeles Harbor Region, Harbor regions of Los Angeles County, California, located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately away from Los Angeles International ...

. The couple had eleven biological children, as well as several other children the family had adopted and raised. Both Savali Talavou Ale and Sakala Mautofu Ale were ordained deacons in the

Congregational Christian Church in American Samoa The Congregational Christian Church of American Samoa - CCCAS (Samoan: Ekalesia Faapotopotoga Kerisiano i Amerika Samoa - EFKAS) is a theologically Calvinist and Congregational denomination in American Samoa. The Congregational Christian Church ...

(CCCAS).

Biography

Personal life

Ale's wife, Sakala Mautofu Ale (Poloa), died from a sudden illness on Saturday, September 5, 2015, at the age of 59. The couple had been married for 38 years. During his first term as Speaker of the American Samoa House of Representatives, the chiefly title "Savali" was bestowed upon him.Sunia, Fofō I. F. (1998). ''The Story of the Legislature of American Samoa: In Commemoration of the Golden Jubilee 1948-1998''. Pago Pago, AS: Legislature of American Samoa. Page 273. . He is a member of the

Congregational Church Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice congregational government. Each congregation independently a ...

Education and early career

After graduating from

Leone High School Leone High School is a senior high school in Vailoatai and Leone, in the Western District, American Samoa. It is operated by the American Samoa Department of Education. It is the second-largest high school on Tutuila Island. It was opened i ...

, he attended the Cannon's College of Commerce and later received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from

California Baptist College California Baptist University (Cal Baptist or CBU) is a private Baptist Christian university in Riverside, California. Founded in 1950 as California Baptist College, it is affiliated with the California Southern Baptist Convention, an organiz ...

in 1977. He also took summer courses at both

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

(1978) and at 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 ...

(1979). He later moved back to American Samoa where he became a school teacher at Leone High School. He later worked for the Tax Office and as the supervisor of the payroll division at

Van Camp Seafood Company A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. There is some variation in the scope of the word across the different English-speaking countries. The smallest vans, microvans, are used for transporting either goods or p ...

Political career

Savali was first elected to the

in the 1981 elections and won re-election from the 1980s and through the 2010s. The Speaker of the House appointed him Chairman of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, a position which allowed Savali to utilize his knowledge of commerce. Another of his committee assignments was to work on the review of the American Samoa Constitution. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1981. Ale, who has never lost re-election, has been re-elected to the House during each successive general election from the 1980s and 2010s, making him the House's longest-serving member, as of 2015. On November 7, 2006, incumbent Speaker Matagi Mailo Ray McMoore lost re-election to the House of Representatives in the general election. Savali, who was Vice Speaker of the House from 2005 to 2007, was elected Speaker of the American Samoa House of Representatives in January 2007 after he received eleven more votes than his opponent, longtime Rep. Gaoteote Palie Tofau. Savali was challenged by Ituau Rep. Taotasi Archie Soliai for the Speakership in 2010, but Savali won re-election as Speaker. Rep. Taotasi Archie Soliai once again challenged Savali for the position of Speaker of the 33rd legislature (2013–2015) in January 2013. Ale defeated Soliai with a vote of 13-7. Rep. Soliai was later defeated for re-election on November 4, 2014, in the

general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

. He was unanimously re-elected Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 34th Legislature on January 3, 2015.

References

, - 1952 births Living people American Samoan Congregationalists Members of the American Samoa House of Representatives Speakers of the American Samoa House of Representatives American Samoa Republicans University of Hawai{{okinai at Mānoa alumni University of Oregon alumni California Baptist University alumni 21st-century members of the American Samoan Fono 20th-century members of the American Samoan Fono