POLITICIANS from American Samoa

Top 3

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Politicians of all time. This list of famous Politicians is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Lolo Matalasi Moliga (b. 1947)

With an HPI of 40.63, Lolo Matalasi Moliga is the most famous Politician.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages on wikipedia.

Lolo Letalu Matalasi (born August 12, 1947) is an American Samoan politician, educator, and businessman. He served as the seventh governor of American Samoa, from 2013 to 2021.

2. Tulsi Gabbard (b. 1981)

With an HPI of 34.78, Tulsi Gabbard is the 2nd most famous Politician.  Her biography has been translated into 49 different languages.

Tulsi Gabbard ( TUL-see GAB-ərd; born April 12, 1981) is an American politician and United States Army Reserve officer. She served as U.S. Representative for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district from 2013 to 2021. Gabbard is serving as a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army Reserve after 17 years of service with Hawaii Army National Guard from 2003 to 2020. Gabbard was the first Samoan-American member of Congress, and the youngest woman elected to the Hawaii state legislature. She was a candidate in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries. She left the Democratic Party in October 2022 to become an independent, before joining the Republican Party in 2024. Earlier in 2003, Gabbard joined the Hawaii Army National Guard and was deployed in Iraq from 2004 to 2005, where she served in a medical unit. In 2007, Gabbard completed the Officer training program at the Alabama Military Academy as a distinguished honor graduate. She was stationed in Kuwait from 2008 to 2009 as an Army Military Police platoon leader. In 2015 Gabbard became a major with the Hawaii Army National Guard. In 2020, she transferred to US Army Reserve and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in 2021. During her time in Congress, Gabbard became known for her stand against Islamic extremism and some controversial views on foreign policy with China, Russia, and Syria. Around 2015, she accused the Obama administration of not taking a strong stand against Islamic terrorism in the Middle east. She served as Vice-chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 2013 to 2016, and resigned from the position to endorse Bernie Sanders for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination. In 2017, Gabbard expressed skepticism about some of the military actions against Syria. In her 2020 presidential campaign, she highlighted a broad opposition to military interventionism, while reiterating her position on combating terrorism. After ending her presidential candidacy, she endorsed Joe Biden in March 2020. After her departure from the House of Representatives in January 2021, Gabbard took more conservative positions on issues such as abortion, foreign policy, LGBTQ rights, and border security. She appeared frequently on Fox News, often serving as a fill-in host for Tucker Carlson Tonight. In October 2022, Gabbard left the Democratic Party citing differences on foreign policy and social issues. Gabbard campaigned for several Republicans in the 2022 midterm elections, and was a featured speaker during that year's Conservative Political Action Conferences (CPAC). In August 2024, Gabbard endorsed former president Donald Trump for the 2024 United States presidential election while speaking at the National Guard Association conference. Subsequently, she became an honorary co-chair of Trump's 2024 presidential transition team. In November 2024, Trump selected Gabbard to serve as the Director of National Intelligence in his second term.

3. Togiola Tulafono (b. 1947)

With an HPI of 33.87, Togiola Tulafono is the 3rd most famous Politician.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Togiola Talalelei A. Tulafono (born February 28, 1947) is an American Samoan politician and lawyer who served as the sixth governor of American Samoa. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He had previously served as the seventh lieutenant governor. Tulafono was lieutenant governor when, on March 26, 2003, Governor Tauese Pita Fiti Sunia died. He then became acting governor and officially became governor on April 7, 2003. He was elected to a full 4-year term in the November 2004 gubernatorial elections and was re-elected in the November 2008 gubernatorial election. Tulafono did not run for governor in 2012 as he was term-limited and could not seek a third consecutive term. He was an unsuccessful candidate for American Samoa's at-large congressional district in 2014.