Minnesota Law Mourns the Passing of Joaquin C. Arriola ’53, Former Guam Senator, Legislative Speaker, and Supreme Court Justice

Joaquin C. Arriola ’53, whose storied public service career in Guam included serving as the speaker of its legislature, a member of its senate, and an associate justice on its supreme court, passed away on May 4 at the age of 96.

Arriola served as a senator in the Guam Legislature from 1955 to 1959. From 1967 to 1971, he served as speaker of the Guam Legislature. In 1974, he ran for governor of Guam.

Arriola’s many leadership roles over the years included serving as president of the Guam Bar Association, chairman of the Territorial Planning Commission, chairman of the Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority, and chairman of the Board of Regents of the College of Guam.

From 1996-2006, Arriola served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of Guam.

“Attorney Arriola was a stalwart not only of the legal profession in Guam, but of the community at large,” the Judiciary of Guam said in a statement on Arriola’s passing. “He was the longest practicing lawyer in Guam, having given 67 years of service to the Judiciary of Guam, the Guam Bar Association, countless clients, and the people of Guam.”

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Joaquin C. Arriola

Joaquin C. Arriola