Tualaulelei Mauri (12 June 1903 – 8 September 1961) was a Western Samoan chief and politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly between 1943 and 1961, and as Minister of Lands and Minister of Agriculture between 1956 and 1961.

Biography

Mauri was born on 12 June 1903.Lauofo Meti (2002) ''Samoa: The Making of the Constitution'', National University of Samoa, p325 Originally from the villages of

Siumu Si’umu is a village on the central south coast of Upolu island in Samoa. The population is 1183. There is also a sub-village Siumu Uta which has a population of 304. Siumu Electoral Constituency Siumu Electoral Constituency (''Faipule District' ...

and Vaito'omuli, he attended the Marist Brothers schools in

Apia Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga. The Apia Urban A ...

and

Suva Suva (, ) is the Capital city, capital and the most populous city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rew ...

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

.Western Samoa Delegation: Biographical Details of Delegates
Second South Pacific Commission He subsequently worked in the civil service for eleven years in the departments of Post and Telegraphs, Public Works and the Secretariat. He also spent 15 year working in the private sector. In 1938 he was made a chief. In 1943 Mauri was appointed to the Legislative Council by Administrator Alfred Turnbull,Meti, p22 and was reappointed following the

1944 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1944. Asia * 1943–1944 Iranian legislative election Europe * 1944 Icelandic constitutional referendum * 1944 Irish general election * 1944 Swedish general election United Kingdom * 1944 Berwick-upon ...

. In the

1948 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1948. Previous: List of elections in 1947 Next: List of elections in 1949 Africa * 1948 Mauritian general election * 1948 South African general election * 1948 Southern Rhodesian general election As ...

to the new Legislative Assembly, he was elected in the

Palauli Palauli is a district and village of Samoa, with a population (2016 Census) of 9,300. It consists of two sections on the southern side of Savai'i. The capital is Vailoa which is also referred to as Vailoa i Palauli (Vailoa in Palauli district). ...

constituency. He was re-elected in

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...

, and in In 1953, was awarded the

Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal () is a commemorative medal instituted to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953. Award This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir from the Queen to members of the Royal Family ...

. He was re-elected again in

1954 Events January * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head ...

. Having previously served on the Executive Council, when a

Member System The Member System, modeled on the cabinet system, was created by British authorities in the Federation of Malaya to provide self-governance. Like the Communities Liaison Committee, it drew on members of different communities, and was later descri ...

was introduced in 1956, he became Member for Lands.Lauofo Meti (2002) ''Samoa: The Making of the Constitution'', p39 The Legislative Assembly was expended prior to the 1957 elections and Mauri was re-elected in Palauli East. Following the elections, full ministerial government was introduced and Mauri was appointed Minister of Lands.New Assembly Sworn In
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', January 1958, p99 In February 1959 he was convicted in the High Court of assault and had to give up his seat and ministerial position. However, in the subsequent by-election he was returned unopposed. When the office of

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

was created later in the year, he was one of three candidates for the post, but was defeated by Fiame Mata'afa. He was appointed Minister for Agriculture, Avele College and Marketing Division in Mata'afa's new government. In the 1961 elections he lost to

Afoafouvale Misimoa Afioga Afoafouvale Misimoa (25 September 1900 – 18 February 1971), also known by his European name Harry William Moors, was a Western Samoan businessman and politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly in two spells between ...

in the Palauli East constituency by 46 votes to 42.Results of Samoan Elections in Dispute
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', April 1961, pp118–119 He submitted a petition to the high court to have the result overturned, claiming that a death oath had been placed on voters by a local chief if Misimoa was not elected. However, his case was dismissed due to contradictory evidence. Mauri died at his home in Apia on 8 September 1961.Tualaulelei Mauri
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', October 1961, p71

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mauri, Tualaulelei 1903 births Samoan chiefs Samoan civil servants Government ministers of Samoa Members of the Legislative Council of Samoa Members of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa 1961 deaths