Roman Tmetuchl

Roman Tmetuchl
Born(1926-02-11)February 11, 1926
Babelthuap, Airai, Palau[1]
DiedJuly 1, 1999(1999-07-01) (aged 73)
Occupation(s)Businessman, politician
Years active1970–1990
SpouseDirrengerkiu Perpetua "Tua" Polloi Tmetuchl[2]
Administrative Assistant to the Chief Justice of the Trust Territory High Court
In office
1952–1957

Roman Tmetuchl (February 11, 1926 – July 1, 1999) was a Palauan political leader and businessman.[3] He grew up in Japanese-controlled Palau and joined the Kempeitai, the Japanese secret police, during World War II. After the war, he became the leader of Palau's Liberal Party. He worked in the Congress of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands from 1964 to 1978 and advocated for Palau gaining a separate status from the rest of Micronesia. He became governor of Airai and engaged in three unsuccessful Palauan presidential campaigns. As a businessman, Tmetuchl led several construction projects for his business holdings and for the Palauan community, including the Palau International Airport (which was later renamed in his honor) and a Seventh-Day Adventist clinic.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Home Town Boy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Pres Proc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Shuster, Donald R. (Spring 2000). "Micronesia in Review: Issues and Events, 1 July 1998 to 30 June 1999". The Contemporary Pacific. 12 (1). University of Hawai'i Press: 194–220. JSTOR 23717486.