List of Governors of Hawaii

Governor of Hawaii
Incumbent
David Ige
since December 1, 2014
Residence Washington Place
Term length Four years, maximum of two terms consecutively
Inaugural holder William F. Quinn
Formation August 21, 1959
Deputy Shan S. Tsutsui
Salary $117,312 (2013)[1]
Website hawaii.gov/gov
Flag of the Governor
Flag of the Governor before Statehood in 1959

The Governor of the State of Hawaii is the head of the executive branch of Hawaii's state government,[2] and commander-in-chief of the state's military forces.[3] The governor has a duty to enforce state laws;[3] the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Hawaii Legislature;[4] the power to convene the legislature;[5] and the power to grant pardons, except in cases of treason and impeachment.[3]

Of the seven governors of the state, two have been elected to three terms, three have been elected to two terms, and two have been elected to one term. Though he also served a term as territorial governor. No state governor has yet resigned or died in office, nor did any territorial governor die in office. George Ariyoshi was the first Asian American to be governor of any U.S. state. The current governor is David Ige, who took office on December 1, 2014.

Governors

The Republic of Hawaii was annexed by the United States in 1898. It was organized into Hawaii Territory in 1900, and admitted as a state in 1959. The Republic had only one president, Sanford B. Dole, who later was the first territorial governor. Between 1893 and 1894, Hawaii was under the Provisional Government of Hawaii, with no formal leader. Before 1893, Hawaii was a monarchy; see list of monarchs of Hawaii.

Governors of Hawaii Territory

Hawaii Territory was organized on June 14, 1900, remaining a territory for 59 years. Twelve people served as territorial governor, appointed by the President of the United States.

# Governor Portrait Took office Left office Appointed by Notes
1 Sanford B. Dole June 14, 1900 November 23, 1903 William McKinley [lower-alpha 1]
2 George R. Carter November 23, 1903[7] August 15, 1907 Theodore Roosevelt [lower-alpha 2]
3 Walter F. Frear August 15, 1907[9] November 30, 1913 Theodore Roosevelt
4 Lucius E. Pinkham November 30, 1913[10] June 22, 1918 Woodrow Wilson
5 Charles J. McCarthy June 22, 1918[11] July 5, 1921 Woodrow Wilson
6 Wallace R. Farrington July 5, 1921[12] July 6, 1929 Warren G. Harding
7 Lawrence M. Judd July 6, 1929[13] March 2, 1934 Herbert Hoover
8 Joseph Poindexter March 2, 1934[14] August 24, 1942 Franklin D. Roosevelt [lower-alpha 3]
9 Ingram Stainback August 24, 1942[16] May 8, 1951 Franklin D. Roosevelt [lower-alpha 4]
10 Oren E. Long May 8, 1951[19] February 28, 1953 Harry S. Truman
11 Samuel Wilder King February 28, 1953[20] July 26, 1957 Dwight D. Eisenhower [lower-alpha 5]
12 William F. Quinn August 29, 1957[22] August 21, 1959 Dwight D. Eisenhower

Governors of the State of Hawaii

Hawaii was admitted to the Union on August 21, 1959, consisting of Hawaii Territory minus Palmyra Atoll. Since then, there have been seven governors.

The governor is elected to a four-year term commencing on the first Monday in the December following the election. The lieutenant governor is elected for the same term and, since 1964, on the same ticket as the governor.[2][23] The 1978 constitutional convention established a term limit of two consecutive terms for both offices.[2] If the office of governor is vacant, the lieutenant governor becomes governor; if the governor is out of the state or unable to fulfill their duties, the lieutenant governor acts as governor during such absence or disability.[24]

Parties

      Democratic (5)       Republican (2)

# Governor Portrait Took office Left office Party Lt. Governor[lower-alpha 6] Terms
1   William F. Quinn August 21, 1959 December 3, 1962 Republican   James Kealoha 1
2   John A. Burns December 3, 1962 December 2, 1974 Democratic   William S. Richardson 3
  Thomas Gill
  George Ariyoshi
3   George Ariyoshi December 2, 1974 December 1, 1986 Democratic   Nelson Doi 3
  Jean King
  John D. Waihee III
4   John D. Waihee III December 1, 1986 December 5, 1994 Democratic   Ben Cayetano 2
5   Ben Cayetano December 5, 1994 December 2, 2002 Democratic   Mazie Hirono 2
6   Linda Lingle December 2, 2002 December 6, 2010 Republican   Duke Aiona 2
7   Neil Abercrombie December 6, 2010 December 1, 2014 Democratic   Brian Schatz 1
  Shan Tsutsui
8   David Ige December 1, 2014 Incumbent Democratic 1[lower-alpha 7]

Other high offices held

Six of Hawaii's governors, four when it was a territory and two since statehood, have served other high offices. Sanford Dole was President of Hawaii before the country was annexed and made a territory, which he then governed. One territorial governor each served as a Delegate from Hawaii Territory, a U.S. Senator from Hawaii, and a Governor of American Samoa. One state governor also served as a delegate, and another represented the state in the U.S. House.

Governor Gubernatorial term Other offices held Source
Sanford B. Dole 1900–1903 President of Hawaii [25]
Lawrence M. Judd 1929–1934 Governor of American Samoa [26]
Oren E. Long 1951–1953 Senator from Hawaii [27]
Samuel Wilder King 1953–1957 Delegate from Hawaii Territory [28]
John A. Burns 1962–1974 Delegate from Hawaii Territory [29]
Neil Abercrombie 2010–2014 Representative from Hawaii [30]

Living former governors

As of May 2015, five former governors were alive, the oldest being George Ariyoshi (1974-1986, born 1926). The most recent death of a former governor was that of William F. Quinn (1957–1962), who died on August 28, 2006. The most recently serving governor to have died was John A. Burns (1962–1974) who died from cancer on April 5, 1975 less than a year after leaving office.

Governor Gubernatorial term Date of birth
George Ariyoshi 1974–1986 March 12, 1926
John D. Waihee III 1986–1994 May 19, 1946
Ben Cayetano 1994–2002 November 14, 1939
Linda Lingle 2002–2010 June 4, 1953
Neil Abercrombie 2010–2014 June 26, 1938

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Resigned to take a seat on the United States District Court for Hawaii Territory.[6]
  2. ↑ Resigned; term was to have ended November 23, 1907.[8]
  3. ↑ Poindexter remained in office for several months after his term expired until his successor was confirmed.[15]
  4. ↑ Stainback had little power until October 24, 1944, as his predecessor had declared martial law on December 7, 1941, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, delegating executive authority to the military.[17] During the military rule, the territory was governed by Lieutenant Generals Walter Short, Delos Emmons, and Robert C. Richardson, Jr..[18]
  5. ↑ Resigned immediately when denied a second term by President Eisenhower.[21]
  6. ↑ All lieutenant governors have represented the same party as their governor.
  7. ↑ Governor Ige's first term expires on December 3, 2018; he is not yet term limited.

References

General
Constitution
Specific
  1. ↑ "CSG Releases 2013 Governor Salaries". The Council of State Governments. June 25, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 HI Const. art. V, § 1
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 HI Const. art. V, § 5
  4. ↑ HI Const. art. IV, § 16
  5. ↑ HI Const. art. IV, § 10
  6. ↑ "Confirmed by the Senate". The New York Times. November 24, 1903. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  7. ↑ "Carter Takes the Oath". The Washington Post. November 24, 1903. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  8. ↑ "Gov. Carter will Quit". The New York Times. June 9, 1907. Retrieved February 2, 2008.
  9. ↑ "New Governor of Hawaii". The Washington Post. August 16, 1907. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  10. ↑ "Approved as Hawaii Governor". The New York Times. November 30, 1913. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  11. ↑ All about Hawaii. Star-Bulletin Printing Co. 1960. p. 148. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  12. ↑ All about Hawaii. Star-Bulletin Printing Co. 1960. p. 157. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  13. ↑ "Judd is Inaugurated". The New York Times. July 6, 1929. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  14. ↑ "Poindexter Takes Office As Governor of Hawaii". The Christian Science Monitor. March 2, 1934. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  15. ↑ Dyke, C.Y. (1960). Biographical Sketches of Hawaii's Rulers. First National Bank of Hawaii. p. 35. Retrieved February 23, 2008.
  16. ↑ Court Of Claims, United States; Company, West Publishing (1988). "Federal Supplement" 66. West Pub. Co. p. 985. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  17. ↑ Israel, Fred L. (August 1967). "Military Justice in Hawaii 1941–1944". Pacific Historical Review 36 (3): 243. JSTOR 3637150.
  18. ↑ Rankin, Robert S. (May 1944). "Martial Law and the Writ of Habeas Corpus in Hawaii". The Journal of Politics (The Journal of Politics, Vol. 6, No. 2) 6 (2): 213. doi:10.2307/2125272. JSTOR 2125272.
  19. ↑ "Hawaii Swears in Long as Governor". The New York Times. May 9, 1951. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  20. ↑ "Hawaii Inaugurates King As Its Eleventh Governor". The New York Times. March 1, 1953. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  21. ↑ "Hawaii Governor, Denied 2nd Term, Resigns Suddenly". Los Angeles Times. July 26, 1957. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  22. ↑ "Gov. Quinn Takes Office in Hawaii". The New York Times. August 30, 1957. Retrieved February 23, 2008.
  23. ↑ Tuttle, Jr., Daniel W. (June 1967). "The 1966 Election in Hawaii". The Western Political Quarterly (The Western Political Quarterly, Vol. 20, No. 2) 20 (2, part 2): 563. doi:10.2307/446083. JSTOR 446083.
  24. ↑ HI Const. art. V, § 4
  25. ↑ "To Rule Over Hawaii". The New York Times. August 10, 1898. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  26. ↑ "Lawrence McCully Judd". American Samoa Government. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  27. ↑ "Long, Oren Ethelbirt". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Clerk of the United States House of Representatives and Historian of the United States Senate. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  28. ↑ "King, Samuel Wilder". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Clerk of the United States House of Representatives and Historian of the United States Senate. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  29. ↑ "Burns, John Anthony". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Clerk of the United States House of Representatives and Historian of the United States Senate. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  30. ↑ "Abercrombie, Neil". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Clerk of the United States House of Representatives and Historian of the United States Senate. Retrieved November 6, 2010.

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