Underwood, Robert A. (Robert Anacletus), 1948-

<p>Robert Anacletus Underwood (born July 13, 1948) is an American politician, educator, member of the Democratic Party of Guam, former Delegate from Guam to the United States House of Representatives from 1993 to 2003, and was the president of the University of Guam from 2008 to 2018.</p>

<p>Underwood was born in Tamuning, Guam. He is the son of John Joseph Underwood (1911–1986) and Esther Flores Taitano (1913–2005). His paternal grandparents were James Holland Underwood and Ana Pangelinan Martinez, from Tamuning, Guam, and his maternal grandparents were Juan San Nicolas Taitano and Rosario Sablan Flores, who resided in Dededo, Guam. Underwood graduated from Guam's John F. Kennedy High School in 1965, and attended California State University, Los Angeles and the University of Southern California. He became a high school teacher on the American mainland, and he then served as an instructor at the University of Guam from 1976 to 1983. Underwood was director of bilingual education assistance for Micronesia until 1988 and Academic Vice President of the University of Guam until 1992.</p>

<p>In 2009, he married former Guam Department of Education superintendent Dr. Nerissa Bretania Underwood during an intimate morning ceremony at the Superior Court of Guam. His wife is a former senator in Guam Legislature. Underwood is a regular opinion contributor in the Pacific Daily News.</p>

<p>Robert A. Underwood served five terms as Guam’s Delegate in the U.S. House of Representatives before running unsuccessfully for governor of the territory. As Guam’s third Delegate, Underwood continued his two predecessors’ push for commonwealth status for the tiny island in the western Pacific. His experience as an educator, along with his respect for Guam’s Chamorro culture, shaped much of his legislative agenda during his time in the House. Using his position to draw attention to the pressing needs of the territory, Underwood fought for increased recognition for Guam and for its inclusion in federally funded programs. “When you’re a small territory, the nexus of your relationship to the federal government is the basis for your representation in Washington,” Underwood noted. “It’s always trying to understand that and take advantage of it and try to fix the problems with that. That’s the nature of the representation that comes from a small territory.”</p>

<p>Robert A. Underwood was born July 13, 1948, in Tamuning, a town on the west coast of Guam. Both his father, John, and his mother, Esther Flores Taitano, were teachers. After graduating from Tamuning’s John F.Kennedy High School in 1965, Underwood attended California State University in Los Angeles, earning a BA in history in 1969 and an MA in history in 1971. Influenced by his parents’ vocation, Underwood embarked on a 20-year career in education. From 1972 to 1976, he was a high school teacher, a school administrator, and a curriculum writer for Guam’s public schools. He then worked at the University of Guam from 1977 to 1992 as an instructor for and a director of the Bilingual Bicultural Training Program and a director of Project BEAM (Bilingual Education Assistance from Micronesia). He was also a professor of education, the dean of the College of Education, and the academic vice president of the university. During this period, Underwood also earned an EdD from the University of Southern California in 1987 and graduated from Harvard’s Management Development Program in 1988. Underwood married Lorraine Aguilar, also a teacher, and the couple had five children: Sophia, Roberto, Ricardo, Ramon, and Raphael.</p>

<p>In 1992 Underwood left the University of Guam to challenge four-term incumbent Ben Garrido Blaz in the election for Guam’s congressional Delegate seat. Long active in the debate on Guam’s political status, Underwood was familiar with the issues affecting the island and pledged to use his experience in public policy to help Guam at the national level. He relied on strong ties to the community that he built during his career as an educator and his familial connections, which included his grandfather James H. Underwood, a former U.S. Marine and the postmaster of Guam. He directed a successful grassroots campaign, walking to small villages and meeting with voters. Underwood’s electoral prospects received an unanticipated boost when an impending typhoon postponed voting in Guam for nearly a week. Thus, Guamanians knew before going to the polls that William J. (Bill) Clinton had succeeded in his bid to unseat President George H. W. Bush. This was an important development since both Underwood and Blaz had emphasized the significance of Guam’s having a Delegate from the same party as the President. Ultimately, Underwood benefited from a desire for political change and bested Blaz with 55 percent of the vote. “I feel gratified, but that has to end real quick,” Underwood remarked. “There’s a lot of work ahead.”11 In subsequent elections, Underwood cruised to victory. In 1994 and 1996, he ran unopposed. He faced minimal opposition in his final two elections, defeating Manuel Cruz, a labor union president, with 76 and 78 percent of the vote, respectively.</p>

UNDERWOOD, Robert A., a Delegate from Guam; born in Tamuning, Guam, July 13, 1948; graduated from John F. Kennedy High School, Tamuning, Guam, 1965; B.A., California State University, Los Angeles, Calif., 1969, M.A., California State University, Los Angeles, Calif., 1971; Ed.D., University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Calif., 1987; teacher; instructor and director, bilingual bicultural training program, University of Guam, Mangilao, Guam, 1976-1981; faculty, University of Guam, Mangilao, Guam, 1981-1983; director, bilingual education assistance for Micronesia, 1983-1988; administrator, University of Guam, Mangilao, Guam, 1988-1992; elected as a Democrat to the One Hundred Third and to the four succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1993-January 3, 2003); was not a candidate for reelection to the One Hundred Eighth Congress in 2002, but was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Guam; unsuccessful candidate for election to the One Hundred Seventeenth Congress in 2020.