About Malietoa Tanumafili II
Malietoa Tanumafili II (4 January 1913 – 11 May 2007) was O le Ao o le Malo (head of state) of Samoa from its independence in 1962 until his death in 2007. He was bestowed with the Malietoa title in 1940 and had previously worked for the New Zealand administration as a civil servant and parliamentarian. As head of state, he initially served jointly with Tupua Tamasese Meaʻole, who died in April 1963. == Early life == Tanumafili was born on 4 January 1913 as the third child of Malietoa Tanumafili I and Momoe Lupeuluiva Meleisea. He was educated at the government-run Leififi School in Samoa and went on to enroll at St. Stephen's School and Wesley College in Pukekohe, both of which are in New Zealand. After his father's death, he returned to Samoa and was conferred with the title of Malietoa in October 1939. The Lands and Titles Court ruled in his favour in February 1940 when an extended relative disputed his claim to the title. The Malietoa is one of four maximal lineage tamaʻāiga titles, the others being Tupua Tamasese, Mataʻafa and Tuimalealiʻifano. == Early public career == Soon after becoming Malietoa, he was appointed a special adviser (fautua) to the New Zealand administration over Samoa.
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