Pedro Agulto Tenorio

Pete Tenorio
4th Resident Representative of the Northern Mariana Islands
In office
January 14, 2002 – January 3, 2009
Preceded byJuan Babauta
Succeeded byGregorio Sablan (Delegate)
2nd Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands
In office
January 11, 1982 – January 8, 1990
GovernorPedro Pangelinan Tenorio
Preceded byFrancisco Ada
Succeeded byBenjamin Manglona
Personal details
Born (1941-08-08) August 8, 1941 (age 83)
Saipan, Mariana Islands, South Seas Mandate
Political partyRepublican
EducationUniversity of Hawaii, Manoa (BS, MS)

Pedro Agulto Tenorio (born August 8, 1941), who is often known as Pete A. Tenorio, is a Northern Marianan politician. He served as the fourth Resident representative of the Northern Mariana Islands to the United States from January 14, 2002 to January 3, 2009. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected to the office first in November 2001 and again in November 2005. He served as the second lieutenant governor of the Northern Mariana Islands from January 11, 1982 to January 8, 1990.

Early life

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Tenorio attended the University of Hawaiʻi earning a bachelor's degree in geology and returned to Saipan to teach. He later earned a master's degree in hydrology via the East–West Center and took a job as a hydrologist for the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands government.[1]

Political career

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In 1972, Tenorio was elected as an independent to the Congress of Micronesia Senate. He was a member of the Marianas Political Status Commission and a signatory to the Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America.[1] In the 1981 election, Tenorio was elected Lieutenant Governor on the Republican ticket, alongside his cousin and Republican gubernatorial nominee Pedro P. Tenorio.[2]

Washington Representative

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In the 2001 election, Tenorio defeated Democratic nominee Agnes McPhetres and Covenant nominee Herman R. Deleon Guerrero to serve as the Resident Representative.[3] The position of Resident Representative, also known locally as "Washington Representative", was established by Article V of the Constitution of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the term of office was four years.[4] The CNMI Resident Representative maintained an office in Washington, D.C. and his expenses were funded by the CNMI government.

He took office as resident representative on January 14, 2002.[5] In 2005, Tenorio was reelected against Covenant Party nominee Juan Sablan Demapan.[6]

Tenorio was the CNMI's fourth and final Resident Representative. This office was replaced by a nonvoting delegate in the United States Congress in January 2009. Established in 2008 with the enactment of Pub. L. 110–229 (text) (PDF), the first election for the congressional delegate was held on November 4, 2008. Tenorio was the Republican nominee; however, he lost by 357 votes to Gregorio C. Sablan, an independent.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b Tenorio, Pedro (October 19, 1993). "Interview of Pedro A. Tenorio" (PDF) (Interview). Interviewed by Howard Willens. Northern Mariana Humanities Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 26, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  2. ^ "Incomplete Semi-Official Election Results". Marianas Variety. Vol. 10, no. 34. November 6, 1981. p. 2. Retrieved December 17, 2021 – via eVols.
  3. ^ Alejandro, Edith G. (6 November 2001). "GOP in Landslide CNMI Victory: Babauta Governor". Pacific Islands Report. Archived from the original on 30 January 2021. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  4. ^ Constitution of the Northern Mariana Islands, Article V, Section 2
  5. ^ "Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands". Department of the Interior Office of Insular Affairs. Archived from the original on 2012-03-14. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  6. ^ "2005 Election Results". Commonwealth Election Commission. Archived from the original on 10 August 2011.
  7. ^ Donato, Agnes E. (November 19, 2008). "Absentee votes confirm Kilili victory". Saipan Tribune. Archived from the original on February 14, 2012.
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Political offices
Preceded by Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands
1982–1990
Succeeded by
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Resident Representative of the Northern Mariana Islands
2002–2009
Succeeded byas Delegate of the Northern Mariana Islands