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]

"Governors of Hawaii" redirects here. For a list of governors of the Hawaiian Kingdom, see Governors of Hawaii (island).
Governor of Hawaii
Ke Kiaʻaina o Hawaiʻi
Gubernatorial Standard
Incumbent
Josh Green
since December 5, 2022
ResidenceWashington Place
Term lengthFour years, renewable once
PrecursorGovernor of Hawaii Territory
Inaugural holderWilliam F. Quinn
FormationAugust 21, 1959 (1959-08-21)
DeputyLieutenant Governor of Hawaii
WebsiteOffice of the Governor
Flag of the Governor
Flag of the Governor before Statehood in 1959

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.

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.

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.

Governors of the Territory of Hawaii
No. Governor Term in office Appointed by
1 Sanford B. Dole
(1844–1926)		 June 14, 1900
–
November 23, 1903
(resigned)[lower-alpha 1]		 William McKinley
2 George R. Carter
(1866–1933)		 November 23, 1903[6]
–
August 15, 1907
(replacement appointed)[lower-alpha 2]		 Theodore Roosevelt
3 Walter F. Frear
(1863–1948)		 August 15, 1907[8]
–
November 30, 1913
(replacement appointed)		 Theodore Roosevelt
4 Lucius E. Pinkham
(1850–1922)		 November 30, 1913[9]
–
June 22, 1918
(replacement appointed)		 Woodrow Wilson
5 Charles J. McCarthy
(1861–1929)		 June 22, 1918[10]
–
July 5, 1921
(replacement appointed)		 Woodrow Wilson
6 Wallace Rider Farrington
(1871–1933)		 July 5, 1921[11]
–
July 6, 1929
(replacement appointed)		 Warren G. Harding
7 Lawrence M. Judd
(1887–1968)		 July 6, 1929[12]
–
March 2, 1934
(replacement appointed)		 Herbert Hoover
8 Joseph Poindexter
(1869–1951)		 March 2, 1934[13]
–
August 24, 1942
(replacement appointed)		 Franklin D. Roosevelt
9 Ingram Stainback
(1883–1961)		 August 24, 1942[14]
–
May 8, 1951
(replacement appointed)[lower-alpha 3]		 Franklin D. Roosevelt
10 Oren E. Long
(1889–1965)		 May 8, 1951[17]
–
February 28, 1953
(replacement appointed)		 Harry S. Truman
11 Samuel Wilder King
(1886–1959)		 February 28, 1953[18]
–
July 26, 1957
(resigned)[lower-alpha 4]		 Dwight D. Eisenhower
12 William F. Quinn
(1919–2006)		 August 29, 1957[20]
–
August 21, 1959
(became state governor)		 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 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][21] 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.[22]

Governors of the State of Hawaii[lower-alpha 5]
No. Governor Term of office Party Election Lt. Governor[lower-alpha 6]
1   William F. Quinn
(1919–2006)		 August 21, 1959
–
December 3, 1962
(lost election)		 Republican 1959   James Kealoha
2 John A. Burns
(1909–1975)		 December 3, 1962
–
December 2, 1974
(not candidate for election)		 Democratic 1962 William S. Richardson
1966 Thomas Gill
1970 George Ariyoshi
3 George Ariyoshi
(b. 1926)		 December 2, 1974
–
December 1, 1986
(term limited)		 Democratic 1974 Nelson Doi
1978 Jean King
1982 John D. Waiheʻe III
4 John D. Waiheʻe III
(b. 1946)		 December 1, 1986
–
December 5, 1994
(term limited)		 Democratic 1986 Ben Cayetano
1990
5 Ben Cayetano
(b. 1939)		 December 5, 1994
–
December 2, 2002
(term limited)		 Democratic 1994 Mazie Hirono
1998
6 Linda Lingle
(b. 1953)		 December 2, 2002
–
December 6, 2010
(term limited)		 Republican 2002 Duke Aiona
2006
7 Neil Abercrombie
(b. 1938)		 December 6, 2010
–
December 1, 2014
(not candidate for election)[lower-alpha 7]		 Democratic 2010 Brian Schatz
(resigned December 26, 2012)
Vacant
Shan Tsutsui
(took office December 27, 2012)
(resigned January 31, 2018)
8 David Ige
(b. 1957)		 December 1, 2014
–
December 5, 2022
(term limited)		 Democratic 2014
Vacant
Doug Chin
(took office February 2, 2018)
2018 Josh Green
9 Josh Green
(b. 1970)		 December 5, 2022
–
Incumbent[lower-alpha 8]		 Democratic 2022 Sylvia Luke

See also

Notes
  1. Dole resigned to take a seat on the United States District Court for Hawaii Territory.[5]
  2. Carter's term was to have ended November 23, 1907, but he had stated he did not wish to serve again, so his replacement was appointed early.[7]
  3. 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.[15] During the military rule, the territory was governed by Lieutenant Generals Walter Short, Delos Emmons, and Robert C. Richardson, Jr.[16]
  4. King resigned immediately when denied a second term by President Eisenhower.[19]
  5. Data is sourced from the National Governors Association, unless supplemental references are required.
  6. All lieutenant governors have represented the same party as their governor.
  7. Abercrombie lost the Democratic nomination to David Ige.[23]
  8. Green's first term will expire on December 7, 2026.

References
General
  • "Office of the Governor". Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  • "Previous Governors of Hawaiʻi". Office of the Governor. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  • "Hawaii: Past Governors Bios". National Governors Association. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
Constitution
Specific
  1. HI Const. art. V, § 1
  2. HI Const. art. V, § 5
  3. HI Const. art. IV, § 16
  4. HI Const. art. IV, § 10
  5. "Confirmed by the Senate". The New York Times. November 24, 1903. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  6. "Carter Takes the Oath". The Washington Post. November 24, 1903. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  7. "Gov. Carter will Quit". The New York Times. June 9, 1907. Retrieved February 2, 2008.
  8. "New Governor of Hawaii". The Washington Post. August 16, 1907. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  9. "Approved as Hawaii Governor". The New York Times. November 30, 1913. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  10. All about Hawaii. Star-Bulletin Printing Co. 1960. p. 148. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  11. All about Hawaii. Star-Bulletin Printing Co. 1960. p. 157. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  12. "Judd is Inaugurated". The New York Times. July 6, 1929. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  13. "Poindexter Takes Office As Governor of Hawaii". The Christian Science Monitor. March 2, 1934. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  14. Federal Supplement, volume 66. West Publishing Company. 1988.
  15. Israel, Fred L. (August 1967). "Military Justice in Hawaii 1941–1944". Pacific Historical Review. 36 (3): 243–267. doi:10.2307/3637150. JSTOR 3637150.
  16. 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): 213–229. doi:10.2307/2125272. JSTOR 2125272. S2CID 153947841.
  17. "Hawaii Swears in Long as Governor". The New York Times. May 9, 1951. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  18. "Hawaii Inaugurates King As Its Eleventh Governor". The New York Times. March 1, 1953. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  19. "Hawaii Governor, Denied 2nd Term, Resigns Suddenly". Los Angeles Times. July 26, 1957. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  20. "Gov. Quinn Takes Office in Hawaii". The New York Times. August 30, 1957. Retrieved February 23, 2008.
  21. Tuttle, Daniel W. Jr. (June 1967). "The 1966 Election in Hawaii". The Western Political Quarterly. The Western Political Quarterly, Vol. 20, No. 2. 20 (2, part 2): 563–567. doi:10.2307/446083. JSTOR 446083.
  22. HI Const. art. V, § 4
  23. "Hawaiian Governor Loses Primary by Wide Margin; Senate Race Is Undecided". The New York Times. August 11, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
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