The Most Famous
POLITICIANS from Palau
This page contains a list of the greatest Palauan Politicians. The pantheon dataset contains 19,576 Politicians, 7 of which were born in Palau. This makes Palau the birth place of the 163rd most number of Politicians behind Zambia, and Lesotho.
Top 8
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Palauan Politicians of all time. This list of famous Palauan Politicians is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Johnson Toribiong (b. 1946)
With an HPI of 52.43, Johnson Toribiong is the most famous Palauan Politician. His biography has been translated into 30 different languages on wikipedia.
Johnson Toribiong (born 22 July 1946) is a Palauan attorney and politician. Toribiong became the president of Palau, following his victory in the November 2008 election, and left office in 2013. Before 2020 elections, Toribiong has run for president four times - in 1992, 1996, 2008 and 2012.
2. Kuniwo Nakamura (1943 - 2020)
With an HPI of 50.12, Kuniwo Nakamura is the 2nd most famous Palauan Politician. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.
Kuniwo Nakamura (中村國雄, Nakamura Kunio, 24 November 1943 – 14 October 2020) was a Palauan politician who served as the President of Palau from 1993 to 2001. He had earlier served as Vice President of Palau from 1989 to 1993, under Ngiratkel Etpison.
3. Haruo Remeliik (1933 - 1985)
With an HPI of 50.03, Haruo Remeliik is the 3rd most famous Palauan Politician. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.
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 Palauan descent.
4. Thomas Remengesau Jr. (b. 1956)
With an HPI of 49.72, Thomas Remengesau Jr. is the 4th most famous Palauan Politician. His biography has been translated into 38 different languages.
Thomas Esang "Tommy" Remengesau Jr. (born 28 February 1956) is a Palauan politician. In 2013, he was elected the ninth president of Palau and was re-elected to that office in 2016. Previously he served as the seventh president of the island nation from 2001 to 2009. He served as a Senator in the Palau National Congress between his two administrations. In sum, Remengesau was elected Vice-President of Palau in 1992 and 1996, then president in 2000, 2004, 2012 and 2016. Intending to make Palau less dependent upon United States aid, Remengesau has promoted the expansion and growth of tourism in Palau with the slogan "Preserve the Best and Improve the Rest". The "best" refers to Palau's especially bountiful and diverse marine water resources surrounding the islands, and, as a venue of underwater attractions, its reputation among the very top in the world. In foreign affairs, Remengesau has actively advanced Palau's presence in the United Nations, elevating Palau to leadership among the international community through such environmental initiatives as the Micronesian Challenge. He is also a leader among South Pacific nations in advocating awareness of global warming and its effects in the South Pacific Region.
5. Imata Kabua (1943 - 2019)
With an HPI of 48.92, Imata Kabua is the 5th most famous Palauan Politician. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.
Iroijlaplap Imata Jabro Kabua (20 May 1943 – 18 September 2019) was a Marshallese politician, who served as the President of the Marshall Islands from 14 January 1997 to 10 January 2000. He reigned as the Iroijlaplap of Kwajalein after the death of his cousin, Amata Kabua, in 1996 until his own death in 2019.
6. Thomas Remengesau Sr. (1929 - 2019)
With an HPI of 46.88, Thomas Remengesau Sr. is the 6th most famous Palauan Politician. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Thomas Ongelibel Remengesau (28 November 1929 – 3 August 2019), also known as Thomas Remengesau Sr., was a politician in Palau. He was Vice President of Palau from 1985 to 1988, and acting President of Palau in 1985 and President of Palau from 1988 to 1989 following the violent deaths of two previous presidents. When President Haruo Remeliik was assassinated in June 1985, Vice President Oiterong returned from New York City to Palau on 2 July to take office of the President. Between these dates Minister of Justice Remengesau served as acting President until 2 July 1985. Remengesau was elected as Vice President in the special election in August 1985. After the shooting of President Lazarus Salii in August 1988, Remengesau became the President of Palau until Ngiratkel Etpison was sworn in January 1989. He was the Maderngebuked of Ngaraard.
7. Lazarus Salii (1936 - 1988)
With an HPI of 46.15, Lazarus Salii is the 7th most famous Palauan Politician. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Lazarus Eitaro Salii (17 November 1936 – 20 August 1988) was a politician from Palau. He served as the second elected President of Palau from 25 October 1985 until his death by suicide on 20 August 1988, amid bribery allegations. Salii was elected to the Senate of Micronesian Congress. He was involved in the Palau Constitutional Convention of 1978. After the Constitution took effect in 1981, he became an ambassador. As ambassador, he was given wide-ranging authority to negotiate with the U.S. ambassador. He was ambassador until 1984, when he became a senator, representing Koror in the Palau National Congress. When President Haruo Remeliik was assassinated on 30 June 1985, Salii was elected in August to finish his term of office (although Thomas Remengesau and then Alfonso Oiterong served in the interim). Following his suicide by gunshot in 1988, he was succeeded by Vice President Remengesau as president for the remainder of his term, followed by Ngiratkel Etpison as the fifth president. He was the elder brother of Carlos Salii.
8. Ngiratkel Etpison (1925 - 1997)
With an HPI of 45.90, Ngiratkel Etpison is the 8th most famous Palauan Politician. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Ngiratkel Etpison (3 May 1924 – 1 August 1997) was a politician and businessman from Palau. Etpison was elected President in 1988 and served from 1989 until 1993, becoming the country’s first elected president to serve a full term in office.
People
Pantheon has 8 people classified as Palauan politicians born between 1925 and 1956. Of these 8, 2 (25.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Palauan politicians include Johnson Toribiong, and Thomas Remengesau Jr.. The most famous deceased Palauan politicians include Kuniwo Nakamura, Haruo Remeliik, and Imata Kabua. As of April 2024, 1 new Palauan politicians have been added to Pantheon including Ngiratkel Etpison.
Living Palauan Politicians
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Kuniwo Nakamura
1943 - 2020
HPI: 50.12
Haruo Remeliik
1933 - 1985
HPI: 50.03
Imata Kabua
1943 - 2019
HPI: 48.92
Thomas Remengesau Sr.
1929 - 2019
HPI: 46.88
Lazarus Salii
1936 - 1988
HPI: 46.15
Ngiratkel Etpison
1925 - 1997
HPI: 45.90
Newly Added Palauan Politicians (2024)
Go to all RankingsOverlapping Lives
Which Politicians were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 6 most globally memorable Politicians since 1700.
