Robert A. Underwood, U.S. Congress

Biography of Robert Anacletus Underwood Guam's Delegate to the United States Congress

Congressman Robert A. Underwood, the youngest of his six surviving brothers and sisters, was born on July 13, 1948 in Tamuning, Guam. He grew up in Sinajana, where his mother Mrs. Esther Taitano Underwood, taught school for many years. His father, John, an employee of the U.S. Post Office, also had been a teacher. Robert followed his parents' footsteps and became an educator.

Robert attended John F. Kennedy High School in Tumon, and graduated in 1965. He then went on to California State University at Los Angeles and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History in 1969 and a Master's Degree in 1971. He joined the faculty of George Washington High School, Guam's oldest public secondary school, in 1972. After working as a teacher, school administrator and curriculum writer, Robert left the Department of Education and joined the faculty of the University of Guam as an instructor in the Bilingual-Bicultural Training Program in 1976. In 1988, after receiving a Doctorate of Education from the University of Southern California, Robert was named dean of UOG's College of Education. In 1990, he became the university's academic vice president.

In addition to being a force for educational advancement on Guam, Robert was also deeply involved in a multifaceted effort to defend, promote, and advance Chamorro language, culture and history, and the political rights of the Chamorro people. He was elected to the Territorial Board of Education in 1978 and was appointed to the National Advisory Council on Bilingual Education by the U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare in 1979. He was appointed to the Chamorro Language Commission in 1977 and served as its Chairman for more than 12 years, until 1991. He was also a member of the GuamHistoric Preservation Review Board from 1977 until 1990. Robert was a founding member of PARA'-PADA, a coalition of language rights and political rights activists opposed to a proposed Guam Constitution in 1975. In 1981, he was named to the Guam Commission on Self-Determination's Task Force on Free Association/Independence, to research and present to the public its findings on the advantages and the disadvantages of those two political status options.

Robert also was a founding member of OPI-R, the Organization of People for Indigenous Rights, which advocated the formal recognition and eventual exercise of the Chamorro people's right to political self-determination. OPI-R remained actively involved throughout the political status plebiscite of 1982 and the subsequent drafting of the Guam Commonwealth Act, which was accepted by the people of Guam and introduced in Congress for the first time in 1987. One of Robert's first acts as Guam's delegate to Washington in 1993, was to re-introduce the Guam Commonwealth Act in the 103rd Congress.

Robert retired as UOG's academic vice president in 1992, to make a bid for the Washington Delegate's seat, which was authorized by Congress in 1972. He won the 1992 election and became Guam's third delegate to Washington, succeeding Antonio B. Won Pat and Vicente G. Blaz. Congressman Underwood was re-elected in 1994 and 1996 and is now serving his third term in the U.S. House of Representatives.

True to his profession as an educator and commitment to the people of Guam, Congressman Underwood has been able to articulate the needs and concerns of his constituents and gain the respect and support of many national leaders in Washington. Working cooperatively with local and national government leaders, Congressman Underwood has successfully addressed many issues related to Guam and the Pacific, including beneficial amendments to the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the Magnuson Fisheries Conservation and Management Act, the Defense Department Reauthorization Acts of 1993-97, and the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 1996. He has also passed legislation authorizing the return of excess federal land to Guam and improving Guam's War in the Pacific National Historical Park to include the Chamorro people's experience during enemy occupation.

Robert is conscious of his unique status as Guam's delegate in the House of Representatives. He sees his role as being both a legislator and an advocate before the American public. He willingly and effectively speaks out on all issues important to Guam, whether on the House floor, before professional organizations, or in conferences throughout the nation. He speaks with knowledge and conviction for all of Guam's issues. As Guam's voice in Washington, Congressman Underwood firmly believes that Guam's story is a compelling one that needs to be told. It must be retold as many times as necessary to advance a greater understanding and appreciation for Guam's needs and concerns among the nation's leaders and lawmakers.

In the 105th Congress, Congressman Underwood will continue to advance and promote Guam's agenda: the return of more excess land to Guam, justice for Guam's World War II generation in the form of war restitution, and the passage of the Guam Commonwealth Act. Since 1998 marks the centennial anniversary of the Spanish-American War and the signing of the Treaty of Paris, which ended the conflict and delivered Guam into American control, Congressman Underwood will work throughout the year to educate America about Guam's 100 years of U.S. colonial rule and how we as Americans must bring closure to a process that brings greater autonomy and political dignity to the people of Guam.

Congressman Robert A. Underwood and his wife, the former Lorraine Aguilar, are the proud parents of five children: Sophia Rosario, Roberto Anacletus, Ricardo Hurao, Ramon John Joseph, and Raphael Vicente. The Congressman and his family are avid sports fans who attend as many sporting events as his schedule will allow. They also take several family trips and excursions annually. They are active participants in the activities of the Guam community in Washington, D.C. and throughout the U.S.