Joseph J. Urusemal

Joseph John Urusemal (March 19, 1952 – September 16, 2025) was a Micronesian statesman from Thailap (“Tagaulap”), Woleai Atoll, Yap State, who served as the sixth President of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) from 2003 to 2007.

Urusemal attended Outer Islands High School before enrolling at Xavier High School in Chuuk in 1969. At Xavier, he distinguished himself as president of the senior class, student council leader, and editor-in-chief of the school newspaper and literary journal The Three Towers. He graduated in 1976 from Rockhurst College in Kansas City, Missouri, with a degree in Administration of Justice. Following graduation, he worked for the Jackson County Department of Corrections in Missouri before returning to Yap in 1982, where he joined the Department of Education as a teacher and counselor.

In 1987, Urusemal was elected to the Fifth FSM Congress as Yap’s at-large representative. Over the next three decades he was consistently re-elected, becoming one of Congress’s most seasoned parliamentarians. He served as Floor Leader from 1991 to 2003, chaired the Committee on Health, Education and Social Affairs, and was at various times a member of all standing committees.

On May 11, 2003, Congress elected him President of the Federated States of Micronesia. Under the FSM Constitution, the President and Vice President are chosen not by popular vote but by the 14-member Congress, from among the four at-large (statewide) representatives. Urusemal served one full term, but when Congress convened in 2007 it elected Manny Mori as President instead. While Urusemal’s departure after a single term was not unprecedented, it reflected the shifting balance of influence and erosion of the informal state-by-state rotation practices in Congress.

After his presidency, Urusemal returned to Congress and remained active for many years, including as Chairman of the Committee on Education and of the Yap Congressional Delegation.

Urusemal died on September 16, 2025, while receiving treatment at Palau National Hospital in Koror, Palau. He was 73 years old. Plans for his burial included repatriation to Satawal Atoll in Yap State.

A dedicated Roman Catholic, Urusemal was married to Olania Latileilam of Satawal, and together they had four children and several grandchildren.