[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 88 (Friday, May 20, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E547-E548]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF FORMER SPEAKER JOAQUIN ``KIN'' CAMACHO 
                                ARRIOLA

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. MICHAEL F. Q. SAN NICOLAS

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 20, 2022

  Mr. SAN NICOLAS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and 
legacy of former Speaker and Associate Justice, Joaquin ``Kin'' Camacho 
Arriola. Speaker Arriola was an inspiring leader, esteemed public 
servant, and unwavering advocate for the People of Guam. Beyond his 
roles as an attorney, judge, and senator, our community will fondly 
remember him as a pillar of progress who devoted his life to our 
island's social, political, and economic transformation.
  When Speaker Arriola was 16 years old, the Japanese invasion and 
occupation of Guam brought the War in the Pacific to our very shores. 
Amid the atrocities and adversity of a war-torn island, however, he 
displayed incredible tenacity, courage, and fortitude that poured into 
the rest of his career and lifetime. In addition to surviving as part 
of the Greatest Generation of Guam, he led a squad of the 77th Infantry 
Division of the U.S. Army carrying out post-war cleanup operations. 
Shortly thereafter, Speaker Arriola completed his studies at George 
Washington High School then went on to graduate cum laude from the 
College of St. Thomas in Minnesota. In the years that followed, he 
pursued a Juris Doctor at the University of Minnesota Law School and 
upon graduating in 1953, he made history as one of the first CHamorus 
to earn a law degree--later obtaining admission to the Bars for 
Minnesota, Guam, the U.S. District Court of Guam, Trust Territory of 
the Pacific Islands, U.S. Supreme Court, Commonwealth of the Northern 
Mariana Islands, and U.S. District Court of the Northern Mariana 
Islands.
  Determined to realize a better future for our island and people, 
Speaker Arriola returned home with the tools and confidence to rise as 
a champion for Guam's civil rights and greater self-governance. Over 
the course of his 67- years long career, he served at the forefront of 
our island and region's legal history. In addition to founding Arriola 
Law Finn, one of the oldest established law offices in Guam, Speaker 
Arriola represented numerous government agencies, litigated hundreds of 
cases across the Marianas, and served on the bench as an Associate 
Justice of the Guam Supreme Court. He also served as an elected senator 
in the 3rd and 4th Guam Legislature, Legislative Counsel and 
Parliamentarian for the following 5th, 6th, and 7th, and Speaker of the 
9th and 10th legislatures, advancing policies to establish Guam's 
comprehensive civil, criminal, and legal structures.
  Speaker Arriola's extensive community involvement further illustrates 
the unconditional commitment he maintained to and for our people. In 
addition to serving as President of the Guam Bar Association, Chairman 
of the Democratic Party, Territorial Planning Commission, and the Guam 
Housing and Urban Renewal Authority, he served as Executive Committee 
Chairman for the Pacific Conference on Legislators as well. Moreover, 
Speaker Arriola played instrumental roles in the formation of the Bank 
of Guam, as part of the Bank Pacific Board of Directors, and in the 
historic movement against the establishment of a Federal Comptroller 
position for the island. The outcomes he helped realize are a 
fundamental part of both our CHamoru and national story, and over the 
years these profound contributions have been recognized with a Guam 
Judiciary Hustisia Award, Cristobal C. Duenas Excellence Award, 
Governor's Award, Legislative Resolution, and University of Guam Doctor 
of Laws, Honoris Causa.
  Joaquin ``Kin'' Camacho Arriola is an icon of justice whose near 
century of life is materially intertwined with the history and future 
of our Marianas archipelago. The visionary leadership he embodied will 
perpetually inform the

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affairs of governance and inspire the lives of many throughout our 
region. My family and I wish to extend our hearts and prayers for him 
and his family, and I join the People of Guam in remembering and 
celebrating his life and legacy of selfless service, unwavering 
advocacy, and tireless dedication to give back to the home and people 
that raised him. He will be deeply missed, and his love and memories 
will forever remain in the hearts of the People of Guam.