Atanasio Taitano Perez was one of the thirty-two signatories of the petition on display in this gallery. Having worked as a clerk and interpreter for the acting U.S. governor in 1899, he ascended to associate justice in the Guam Court of Appeals in 1916, among other positions. Perez used his public prominence to vocalize his desires for Guam’s political future. In 1925, during a visit by members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Perez stated:

“The CHamorus are neither citizens nor aliensthey are truly without a country. . . . I hope that Congress will see fit to retain our appreciation and strengthen our loyalty by granting us the title we would prize above all othersCitizens of the United States.”

Perez died on April 23, 1950, just a few months before President Truman signed the Organic Act of Guam, which established a civil government and granted U.S. citizenship to the CHamoru.