Past Governors

ABOUT THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

The Governor’s authority is derived from Article V of the Constitution of the State of Hawai‘i.

The Governor is the commander-in-chief of the state’s armed forces and oversees all state departments. In addition, the Governor nominates the head of those departments, and that person’s name is forwarded to the Senate, which votes on his or her confirmation.

At the beginning of each legislative session, the Governor must report on the affairs of state and provide leadership by putting forth recommendations and initiatives through the State of the State Address.

It is also within the Governor’s power to grant pardons or commute sentences, as well as form commissions and temporary agencies.

To be eligible to serve as Governor, a person must be a qualified voter, be at least 30 years old and have been a resident of Hawai‘i for at least five years. A Governor is limited to serving two four-year terms. The Lieutenant Governor observes the same qualifications and restrictions.

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 have elected governors of different ethnicities, including Japanese American, Native Hawaiian and Filipino American. Governor Lingle is Hawai‘i’s first Jewish and first female governor.

PAST GOVERNORS

	Sanford B. Dole was the first governor of Hawai`i, serving from 1900 to 1903. He was born in Honolulu in 1844 of missionary parents and then went to the mainland to obtain his education. Dole returned to Hawai`i and became involved in public life. After the Republic of Hawai`i was established, he became its first president. When the U.S. established Hawai`i as a territory, Dole was named governor. He resigned as governor to fill a justice position in federal court.
	George R. Carter succeeded Dole as governor, serving from 1903 to 1907. Carter is credited with guiding the inexperienced legislature and establishing a sound administration.
	Walter F. Frear was Hawai`i’s third governor. He served from 1907 to 1913. Frear was also a former chief justice of the Supreme Court. The focus in his administration was on homesteading and public works. During his administration the U.S. approved funds to begin building a naval base in Hawai`i that would be known as Pearl Harbor.
	Hawai`i’s fourth governor was Lucius E. Pinkham. He was the former president of the Board of Health and served from 1913 to 1918. During his administration, Pinkham dealt with problems related to World War I. Pinkham was the first Democrat to hold this office.
	Charles J. McCarthy was appointed Hawai`i's fifth governor by President Woodrow Wilson. The popular former territorial treasurer was described as “genial and straightforward” and served from 1918 to 1921. He was in favor of statehood for Hawai`i.
	Wallace R. Farrington was appointed Hawai`i’s sixth governor by President Calvin Coolidge, serving from 1921 to 1929. During his tenure, Congress passed the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, which aimed at returning native Hawaiians to the land.
	The next governor was Lawrence M. Judd, who was appointed by President Herbert Hoover and served from 1929 to 1934. The stock market crash of 1929 affected Hawai`i, which prompted Judd to cut down on expenses in Hawai`i.
	Joseph B. Poindexter was Hawai`i’s eighth governor. A former federal judge, he served from 1934 to 1942. Poindexter spent the first four years in office dealing with the Great Depression. Also while Poindexter was in office, Congress passed the Jones-Costigan Sugar Control Act to limit the overproduction of sugar.
	The next governor was Ingram M. Stainback. He served Hawai`i from 1942 to 1951. Stainback, who was also a judge, warned people about the dangers of Communism and claimed there was a plan by Communists to seize the territory.
	Oren E. Long was Stainback’s successor and served as governor from 1951 to 1953. He was an educator, serving as superintendent for schools and was a senator after his term as governor.
	The next governor was Samuel Wilder King. He served from 1953 to 1957 and pushed hard for statehood. King, who was one-eighth native Hawaiian, was also a Bishop Estate trustee.
	William F. Quinn was the first-elected governor of Hawai`i. He was also the last appointed governor. President Dwight Eisenhower appointed Quinn to the position in 1957. Quinn served as governor from 1957 to 1962. His tenure was marked by events such as the sugar strike of 1958, statehood in 1959 and the tsunami of 1960.
	John Burns was the next elected governor of the state. He challenged Quinn for the governorship in the first election, and came back to win the highest state seat in 1962. He served until 1974. Burns was a police captain with the Honolulu Police Department prior to entering politics.
	George Ariyoshi became governor in 1974 and served until 1986. The first governor of Japanese-American ancestry, Ariyoshi is remembered for guiding the state through its first economic recession after the post-economic boom of statehood.
	John Waihe`e, who served as governor from 1986 to 1994, was the first native Hawaiian elected as the state’s chief executive. He came into office when the economy was booming from foreign investment in real estate.
	Benjamin Cayetano served as governor from 1994 to 2002. He was the nation’s first Filipino-American governor. Cayetano served as lieutenant governor under Waihe‘e and was a private attorney prior to entering politics.