Misa Telefoni Retzlaff

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = Misa Telefoni Retzlaff

|image = MisaTelefoni 640.jpg

|office1 = Deputy Prime Minister of Samoa

|term_start1 = 19 March 2001

|term_end1 = 20 March 2011

|primeminister1 = Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi

|predecessor1 = Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi (1998)

|successor1 = Fonotoe Pierre Lauofo

{{Collapsed infobox section begin|{{nowrap|Additional cabinet positions}}|titlestyle=border:1px dashed lightgrey;}}

|office2 = Minister of Trade, Commerce, Industry and Labour

|term_start2 = 24 April 2006

|term_end2 = 20 March 2011

|primeminister2 =

|predecessor2 = Hans Joachim Keil III

|successor2 = Fonotoe Pierre Lauofo

|office3 = Minister of Tourism

|deputy3 =

|primeminister3 =

|term_start3 = 24 April 2006

|term_end3 = 20 March 2011

|predecessor3 = Hans Joachim Keil III

|successor3 = Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi

|office4 = Minister of Finance

|leader4 =

|term_start4 = 20 March 2001

|term_end4 = 19 March 2006

|predecessor4 =

|successor4 = Tapunuu Niko Lee Hang

|office5 = Minister of Health

|leader5 =

|term_start5 = 26 April 1996

|term_end5 = 20 March 2001

|predecessor5 = Sala Vaimili Uili II

|successor5 = Mulitalo Siafausa Vui

|constituency_MP10 = Falelatai & Samatau

|parliament10 = Samoan

|term_start10 = 26 February 1988

|term_end10 = 4 March 2011

|predecessor10 = Lupematasila Fa'amalaga

|successor10 = Lemi Taefu

|majority10 =

|constituency_MP11 =

|parliament11 =

|term_start11 =

|term_end11 =

|predecessor11 =

|successor11 =

|birth_name = Hermann Theodor Retzlaff

|birth_date = {{Birthdate and age|1952|5|21|df=y}}

|birth_place = Apia, Western Samoa Trust Territory (Now Samoa)

|spouse = Sarah Pulepule Young

|party = Human Rights Protection Party

|alma_mater = University of Auckland

|nationality = Samoan

}}

Misa Telefoni Retzlaff (born Hermann Theodor Retzlaff, 21 May 1952) is a Samoan author and retired politician who served as the deputy prime minister of Samoa and deputy leader of the Human Rights Protection Party from 2001 to 2011. A member of the Human Rights Protection Party, Retzlaff was also minister of finance from 2006 to 2011.

Background

Retzlaff is of German-Swedish-Samoan descent, having inherited his German ancestry from his paternal grandfather.{{cite book|title=The Making of Modern Samoa: Traditional Authority and Colonial Administration in the Modern History of American Samoa|author=Malama Meleisea|publisher=USP|year=1987|isbn=982-02-0031-8|page=176}} His name "Telefoni", is the name that was given by the Samoan community in the early twentieth century, to his grandfather, when he arrived in the German colony, as a public servant of the postal services, to introduce the telephone to the country. He was educated at Marist Brothers in Apia and King's College in Auckland, New Zealand.{{cite book |title=The International Who's Who 2004 |publisher=Routledge |year=2003 |page=1661}} He studied law at the University of Auckland, graduating in 1974. After returning to Samoa, he studied to become a Certified Public Accountant, graduating in 1977, before going on to practice law. He was appointed Attorney-General of Samoa in 1986.{{cite web |url=http://www.govt.ws/index_dpm.html |title=Deputy Prime Minister / Sui Palemia |publisher=Government of Samoa |accessdate=2010-06-18 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100628030214/http://www.govt.ws/index_dpm.html |archivedate=2010-06-28 }} His eldest son Lemalu Herman Retzlaff was subsequently appointed and also served as Attorney General of Samoa in 2016.

Political career

In 1988 he resigned his position as Attorney-general to run for election, winning the seat of Falelatai & Samatau.[http://devpolicy.org/samoaelections/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Samoan-Election-Results-PDF.pdf Samoan election results by constituency 1964–2016] Samoa Election Results Database Initially part of the opposition, he joined the government of Tofilau Eti Alesana in 1991 as Minister of Agriculture, Forests, Fisheries and Shipping. In 1996 he became Minister of Health, and in 2001, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance.{{Cite web|url=https://www.samoaobserver.ws/category/samoa/19026|title=Misa becomes new Minister of Finance |publisher=Samoa Observer |date=20 March 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919185059/https://www.samoaobserver.ws/category/article/19026 |archive-date=19 September 2020}}{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.gov.ws/MembersofParliament/CabinetMinisters/tabid/5186/language/en-US/Default.aspx |title=Cabinet Ministers |publisher=Parliament of Samoa |accessdate=2010-06-18 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20120805200019/http://www.parliament.gov.ws/MembersofParliament/CabinetMinisters/tabid/5186/language/en-US/Default.aspx |archivedate=2012-08-05 }} In 2006 he was appointed Minister of Tourism, Trade, Labor and Commerce.{{cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/161651/five-new-faces-in-new-samoa-cabinet |title=Five new faces in new Samoa cabinet |publisher=RNZ |date=24 April 2006 |accessdate=28 February 2021}} He retired at the 2011 general election.{{cite news |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/195309/samoa%27s-deputy-prime-minister-will-not-seek-re-election |title=Samoa's deputy prime minister will not seek re-election |date=10 February 2011 |work=RNZ |accessdate=28 February 2021}}{{cite web |url=http://www.samoaobserver.ws/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=31303:deputy-pm-&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=50 |title=Deputy PM Misa bowing out |publisher=Samoa Observer |date=12 February 2011 |accessdate=2011-02-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319010630/http://www.samoaobserver.ws/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=31303:deputy-pm-&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=50 |archive-date=19 March 2012 |url-status=dead }}

Publications

Retzlaff has had two books published; "Love and Money", a love story about the richest young bachelor in Auckland New Zealand falling in love with and marrying the young Samoan kitchen help from his exclusive boarding school; and "To Thine Own Self be True", a collection of articles, speeches and poems. In 2021 he published an autobiography, Tautua – Memoirs of a Public Servant.{{cite web |url=https://samoaglobalnews.com/former-deputy-prime-ministers-book-available-at-ssab-samoa/ |title=Former Deputy Prime Minister's Book Available at SSAB Stores |author=Loreta Kelemete |publisher=Samoa Global News |date=11 June 2021 |access-date=11 June 2021}}