List_of_governors_of_Hawaii
The governor of the State of Hawaii is the head of government of Hawaii,[1] and commander-in-chief of the state's military forces.[2] The governor has a duty to enforce state laws;[2] the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Hawaii Legislature;[3] the power to convene the legislature;[4] and the power to grant pardons, except in cases of treason and impeachment.[2]
Governor of Hawaii | |
---|---|
Ke Kiaʻaina o Hawaiʻi | |
Residence | Washington Place |
Term length | Four years, renewable once |
Precursor | Governor of Hawaii Territory |
Inaugural holder | William F. Quinn |
Formation | August 21, 1959 (64 years ago) (1959-08-21) |
Deputy | Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii |
Website | governor |
Of the eight governors of the state, two have been elected to three terms, four have been elected to two terms, and one has been elected to one term. 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 Democrat Josh Green, who took office on December 5, 2022.
The longest-serving governors are John A. Burns (1962–1974) and George Ariyoshi (1974–1986), both of whom served 12 years each.
The Republic of Hawaii was illegally 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.
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.
No. | Governor | Term in office | Appointed by | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sanford B. Dole (1844–1926) [5] |
June 14, 1900[lower-alpha 1] – November 23, 1903 (resigned)[lower-alpha 2] |
William McKinley | |
2 | George R. Carter (1866–1933) [9] |
November 23, 1903[lower-alpha 3] – August 15, 1907 (resigned)[lower-alpha 4] |
Theodore Roosevelt | |
3 | Walter F. Frear (1863–1948) [13] |
August 15, 1907[lower-alpha 5] – November 29, 1913 (successor appointed) |
Theodore Roosevelt | |
4 | Lucius E. Pinkham (1850–1922) [16] |
November 29, 1913[lower-alpha 6] – June 22, 1918 (successor appointed) |
Woodrow Wilson | |
5 | Charles J. McCarthy (1861–1929) [19] |
June 22, 1918[lower-alpha 7] – July 5, 1921 (successor appointed) |
Woodrow Wilson | |
6 | Wallace Rider Farrington (1871–1933) [22] |
July 5, 1921[lower-alpha 8] – July 5, 1929 (successor appointed) |
Warren G. Harding | |
Calvin Coolidge | ||||
7 | Lawrence M. Judd (1887–1968) [26] |
July 5, 1929[lower-alpha 9] – March 1, 1934 (successor appointed) |
Herbert Hoover | |
8 | Joseph Poindexter (1869–1951) [29] |
March 1, 1934[lower-alpha 10] – August 24, 1942 (successor appointed) |
Franklin D. Roosevelt | |
9 | Ingram Stainback[lower-alpha 11] (1883–1961) [34] |
August 24, 1942[lower-alpha 12] – April 30, 1951 (resigned)[lower-alpha 13] |
Franklin D. Roosevelt | |
Harry S. Truman | ||||
10 | Oren E. Long (1889–1965) [38] |
May 8, 1951[lower-alpha 14] – February 28, 1953 (successor appointed) |
Harry S. Truman | |
11 | Samuel Wilder King (1886–1959) [41] |
February 28, 1953[lower-alpha 15] – August 29, 1957 (resigned)[lower-alpha 16] |
Dwight D. Eisenhower | |
12 | William F. Quinn (1919–2006) [45][46][47] |
September 2, 1957[lower-alpha 17] – August 21, 1959 (elected state governor) |
Dwight D. Eisenhower |
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 nine 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.[1][50] The 1978 constitutional convention established a term limit of two consecutive terms for both offices.[1] If the office of governor is vacant, the lieutenant governor becomes governor; if the governor is out of the state or unable to fulfill duties, the lieutenant governor acts as governor during such absence or disability.[51]
No. | Governor | Term of office | Party | Election | Lt. Governor[lower-alpha 18] | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | William F. Quinn (1919–2006) [45][46][47] |
August 21, 1959[52] – December 3, 1962 (lost election) |
Republican[53] | 1959 | James Kealoha | |||
2 | John A. Burns (1909–1975) [54][55] |
December 3, 1962[56] – December 2, 1974 (did not run)[54] |
Democratic[53] | 1962 | William S. Richardson (resigned April 13, 1966) | |||
Andrew T.F. Ing | ||||||||
1966 | Thomas Gill | |||||||
1970 | George Ariyoshi | |||||||
3 | George Ariyoshi (b. 1926) [57][58] |
December 2, 1974[59] – December 1, 1986 (term-limited)[lower-alpha 19] |
Democratic[53] | 1974 | Nelson Doi | |||
1978 | Jean King | |||||||
1982 | John D. Waiheʻe III | |||||||
4 | John D. Waiheʻe III (b. 1946) [61] |
December 1, 1986[62] – December 5, 1994 (term-limited)[lower-alpha 19] |
Democratic[61] | 1986 | Ben Cayetano | |||
1990 | ||||||||
5 | Ben Cayetano (b. 1939) [63] |
December 5, 1994[64] – December 2, 2002 (term-limited)[lower-alpha 19] |
Democratic[63] | 1994 | Mazie Hirono | |||
1998 | ||||||||
6 | Linda Lingle (b. 1953) [65] |
December 2, 2002[66] – December 6, 2010 (term-limited)[lower-alpha 19] |
Republican[65] | 2002 | Duke Aiona | |||
2006 | ||||||||
7 | Neil Abercrombie (b. 1938) [67] |
December 6, 2010[68] – December 1, 2014 (lost nomination)[69] |
Democratic[67] | 2010 | Brian Schatz (resigned December 26, 2012) | |||
Vacant | ||||||||
Shan Tsutsui (took office December 27, 2012) (resigned January 31, 2018) | ||||||||
8 | David Ige (b. 1957) [70] |
December 1, 2014[71] – December 5, 2022 (term-limited)[lower-alpha 19] |
Democratic[70] | 2014 | ||||
Vacant | ||||||||
Doug Chin (took office February 2, 2018) | ||||||||
2018 | Josh Green | |||||||
9 | Josh Green (b. 1970) [72] |
December 5, 2022[73] – Incumbent[lower-alpha 20] |
Democratic[72] | 2022 | Sylvia Luke |
- Dole resigned, having been confirmed to the United States District Court for Hawaii Territory.[5][8]
- Carter's term was to have ended November 23, 1907, but he had stated he did not wish to serve again, so his successor was appointed early.[12]
- 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.[32] During the military rule, the territory was governed by Lieutenant Generals Walter Short, Delos Emmons, and Robert C. Richardson, Jr.[33]
- Stainback resigned due to poor health.[34]
- King resigned when denied a second term by President Eisenhower, to take effect when his successor took office.[44]
- Under the constitution as amended in 1978, governors cannot be elected to more than two consecutive terms.[60]
- Green's first term will expire on December 7, 2026.
- General
- "Former Hawaii Governors". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- Sobel, Robert (1978). Biographical directory of the governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. I. Meckler Books. ISBN 9780930466015. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
- McMullin, Thomas A. (1984). Biographical directory of American territorial governors. Westport, CT : Meckler. ISBN 978-0-930466-11-4. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
- Kallenbach, Joseph Ernest (1977). American State Governors, 1776-1976. Oceana Publications. ISBN 978-0-379-00665-0. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
- Glashan, Roy R. (1979). American Governors and Gubernatorial Elections, 1775-1978. Meckler Books. ISBN 978-0-930466-17-6.
- "Our Campaigns - Governor of Hawaii - History". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
- Constitution
- "Constitution of the State of Hawaii". State of Hawaii. 1959. Archived from the original on June 16, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
- Specific
- HI Const. art. V, § 1
- HI Const. art. V, § 5
- HI Const. art. IV, § 16
- HI Const. art. IV, § 10
- McMullin 1984, pp. 105–106.
- "Confirmed by the Senate". The New York Times. November 24, 1903. p. 6. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- McMullin 1984, pp. 106–108.
- "Gov. Carter Will Quit". The New York Times. June 9, 1907. p. 4. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- McMullin 1984, pp. 108–109.
- McMullin 1984, pp. 109–111.
- McMullin 1984, pp. 111–112.
- McMullin 1984, pp. 112–114.
- McMullin 1984, pp. 114–116.
- McMullin 1984, pp. 116–117.
- Israel, Fred L. (August 1967). "Military Justice in Hawaii 1941–1944". Pacific Historical Review. 36 (3): 243–267. doi:10.2307/3637150. JSTOR 3637150.
- Rankin, Robert S. (May 1944). "Martial Law and the Writ of Habeas Corpus in Hawaii". The Journal of Politics. 6 (2). The Journal of Politics, Vol. 6, No. 2: 213–229. doi:10.2307/2125272. JSTOR 2125272. S2CID 153947841.
- McMullin 1984, pp. 117–119.
- McMullin 1984, pp. 119–120.
- McMullin 1984, pp. 120–122.
- "Hawaii Governor, Denied 2nd Term, Resigns Suddenly". The Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. July 26, 1957. p. 6. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- McMullin 1984, pp. 122–123.
- Sobel 1978, p. 331.
- "William Francis Quinn". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- Tuttle, Daniel W. Jr. (June 1967). "The 1966 Election in Hawaii". The Western Political Quarterly. 20 (2, part 2). The Western Political Quarterly, Vol. 20, No. 2: 563–567. doi:10.2307/446083. JSTOR 446083.
- HI Const. art. V, § 4
- Horio, Don (August 21, 1959). "Quinn, Kealoha Sworn In; 'Greatest Day for Isles'". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. p. 1. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- Kallenbach 1977, p. 150.
- Sobel 1978, pp. 331–332.
- "John Anthony Burns". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- Lovinger, Paul W.; Black, Forrest (December 4, 1962). "Gov. Burns, Aides Take Up Duties". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. p. 1. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- Sobel 1978, pp. 332–333.
- "George Ryoichi Ariyoshi". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- Burris, Jerry (December 3, 1974). "Gov. Ariyoshi Reaffirms Pledges to Hawaii's People During Festive, Historic Inauguration". The Honolulu Advertiser. p. A1. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- "Hawaii Const. art. V, § 1". Retrieved December 16, 2023.
- "John Waihee". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- Burris, Jerry (December 2, 1986). "Waihee Begins With Unity Call". The Honolulu Advertiser. p. A1. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- "Benjamin J. Cayetano". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- Botticelli, Ann (December 6, 1994). "New Governor Offers Hope at Iolani Bash". p. A1. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- "Linda Lingle". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- Arakawa, Lynda; Pang, Gordon Y. K. (December 3, 2002). "Lingle, Hawaii Begin Transition". The Honolulu Advertiser. p. A1. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- "Neil Abercrombie". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- DePledge, Derrick; Reyes, B. J. (December 7, 2010). "'Our Driving Message Will Be, Make It Happen'". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. p. A1. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- "Hawaiian Governor Loses Primary by Wide Margin; Senate Race Is Undecided". The New York Times. August 11, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
- "David Ige". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- Bussewitz, Cathy (December 2, 2014). "Ige Sworn In As Hawaii Governor". West Hawaii Today. Associated Press. p. 1A. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- "Josh Green". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- McAvoy, Audrey (December 6, 2022). "Gov. Green Targets Get". Hawaii Tribune-Herald. Associated Press. p. A1. Retrieved August 15, 2023.