Francis Sanford

Francis Ariioehau Sanford (May 11, 1912 – December 21, 1996) was a French Polynesian politician. He served as a member of the French National Assembly from 1967 until 1978.

Francis Sanford
Member of the National Assembly
In office
1967–1978
ConstituencyFrench Polynesia's 1st constituency
Personal details
Born11 May 1912
Papeete, Tahiti
Died21 December 1996(1996-12-21) (aged 84)
Faa'a, French Polynesia

Early life

Sanford was born in Papeete and had an American grandfather.[1][2] He initially worked in the docks, before becoming a waiter and then a teacher.[1] After 1932, he became a civil servant,[2] becoming Station chief in the Gambier Islands.[1] In 1939 he married Elisa Snow, with whom he had five children.[1] During World War II he rallied the "Free French" and acted as liaison officer to the Americans in Bora Bora. After the war he returned to education, working as a teacher in Bora Bora. In 1956 he was appointed Director of Primary Education in the French Polynesian government.[1]

Political career

In 1965 Sanford was elected mayor of Faa'a. In the 1967 elections to the French National Assembly, he was elected as the French Polynesian deputy, defeating incumbent MP John Teariki by 13,633 votes to 13,285.[1] In the National Assembly he initially joined the Independent Republicans, before switching to the Progress and Modern Democracy group following the 1968 elections. He later joined the Reformist Movement after its foundation in 1972.

He remained a member of the National Assembly until 1978, and later served as President of French Polynesia's Council of Government. He was also the founder of the Aia Api party. He retired from politics in 1985.[3]

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References
  1. New deputy seeks dissolution of Tahiti's assembly Pacific Islands Monthly, May 1967, p32
  2. Brij V. Lal & Kate Fortune (2000) The Pacific Islands: an encyclopedia, Volume 1 p282
  3. Francis Sanford: Politician in French Polynesia The New York Times, 24 December 1996


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