Anapu Solofa Explained

Anapu Solofa
Office:Minister of Justice
Term:1959–1963
Successor:Fiame Mata'afa
Office2:Member of the Legislative Assembly
Term3:1957–1963
Constituency3:Safata
Term2:1951–1954
Constituency2:Tuamasaga South
Birth Place:12 January 1903
Death Date:May 1963

Anapu Solofa (12 January 1903 – May 1963) was a Western Samoan chief and politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly and as Minister of Justice.

Biography

Born on 12 January 1903, in Sa’anapu, Upolu, the son of Anapu Tui’i (Sa’anapu) and Fa’ao Anae (Falelatai), Solofa was given the chiefly title Anapu in 1916 at the age of 13.[1] In 1924 he became the first head boy of the new Avele College.[2] He was a member of the anti-colonial Mau movement and the Speaker of the Fono of Faipule.[1] [3] In 1937 he became an assessor in the High Court.[4]

Solofa was elected to the Legislative Assembly in the 1951 elections, winning the Tuamasaga South constituency.[5] He lost his seat in the 1954 elections, but later participated in the 1954 constitutional convention. He returned to the Legislative Assembly following the 1957 elections as the representative of Safata and became a member of the Executive Council.[1] When cabinet government was introduced in 1959, he was appointed Minister of Justice.[6]

As a member of the Legislative Assembly, Solofa participated in the 1960 constitutional convention and was one of the signatories of the constitution.[7] Following the 1961 elections, he remained Minister of Justice in the government led by Fiame Mata'afa Faumuina Mulinu'u II.[8]

He died of a heart attack at a church conference in May 1963.[9]

Notes and References

  1. Lauofo Meti (2002) Samoa: The Making of the Constitution, p322
  2. "Avele honours the past", Samoa Times, 4 June 2014
  3. https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-370006876/view?sectionId=nla.obj-372910471&partId=nla.obj-370166696#page/n78/mode/1up W. Samoan Representatives For SPC Conference
  4. https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-313207971/view?sectionId=nla.obj-328849181&partId=nla.obj-313210722#page/n19/mode/1up Samoan Chiefs Sworn In For High Court Bench
  5. Meti, p29
  6. Meti, p48
  7. https://www.cbs.gov.ws/index.php/dmsdocument/4336 Constitution of the Independent State of Samoa
  8. https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-322674443/view?partId=nla.obj-323244975#page/n21/mode/1up Samoa Picks A "Vital" Cabinet
  9. https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-324736548/view?partId=nla.obj-324802933#page/n138/mode/1up Hon. Anapu Solofa