History
The Governor is the chief executive of the State of Hawai`i and ensures that all laws of the state are executed. The Governor is in charge of most state agencies, establishes the goals of the state and outlines ways to reach those goals.
When Hawai`i was still a territory of the United States, the governors of the state were appointed by the President. Governors have been elected since 1959 when Hawai`i became the 50th state of the union.
In recent years, the people of Hawai`i are notable for electing governors of different ethnicities, including a Japanese American, a Native Hawaiian and a Filipino-American. Governor Lingle is Hawai`i’s first Jewish and first female governor.
