List of governors of Hawaii facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Governor of Hawaii Gubernatorial standard Incumbent Josh Green since December 5, 2022 Residence Washington Place Term length Four years, renewable once Precursor Governor of Hawaii Territory Inaugural holder William F. Quinn Formation August 21, 1959 (65 years ago) (1959-08-21) Succession Line of succession Deputy Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii Flag of the governor Flag of the governor before statehood in 1959

The Governor of Hawaii is like the chief executive officer for the state of Hawaii. This person is the leader of the state government. They are also in charge of Hawaii's military forces, like the Hawaii National Guard.

The governor has several important jobs. They make sure state laws are followed. They can approve or reject (this is called a veto) new laws passed by the Hawaii State Legislature. The governor can also call the legislature together for special meetings. They can even grant pardons, which means forgiving someone for a crime, except in very serious cases like treason or impeachment.

Hawaii has had eight governors since it became a state. Two governors served three terms, and four served two terms. No governor has ever resigned or died while in office. George Ariyoshi was the first Asian American to become a governor in any U.S. state. The current governor is Josh Green. He is a Democrat and started his term on December 5, 2022.

The governors who served the longest were John A. Burns (1962–1974) and George Ariyoshi (1974–1986). Both served for 12 years.

Governors of Hawaii: A Historical Look

Hawaii became part of the United States in 1898. Before that, it was a republic. In 1900, it became the Hawaii Territory. Then, in 1959, it officially became a U.S. state. The Republic of Hawaii had only one president, Sanford B. Dole. He later became the first governor of the Hawaii Territory.

Governors of Hawaii Territory

The Hawaii Territory was officially set up on June 14, 1900. It remained a territory for 59 years. During this time, 12 different people served as territorial governors. They were chosen 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	McKinley, WilliamWilliam McKinley
2		George R. Carter (1866–1933)	November 23, 1903 – August 15, 1907	Roosevelt, TheodoreTheodore Roosevelt
3		Walter F. Frear (1863–1948)	August 15, 1907 – November 29, 1913	Roosevelt, TheodoreTheodore Roosevelt
4		Lucius E. Pinkham (1850–1922)	November 29, 1913 – June 22, 1918	Wilson, WoodrowWoodrow Wilson
5		Charles J. McCarthy (1861–1929)	June 22, 1918 – July 5, 1921	Wilson, WoodrowWoodrow Wilson
6		Wallace Rider Farrington (1871–1933)	July 5, 1921 – July 5, 1929	Harding, Warren G.Warren G. Harding
				Coolidge, CalvinCalvin Coolidge
7		Lawrence M. Judd (1887–1968)	July 5, 1929 – March 1, 1934	Hoover, HerbertHerbert Hoover
8		Joseph Poindexter (1869–1951)	March 1, 1934 – August 24, 1942	Roosevelt, Franklin D.Franklin D. Roosevelt
9		Ingram Stainback (1883–1961)	August 24, 1942 – April 30, 1951	Roosevelt, Franklin D.Franklin D. Roosevelt
				Truman, Harry S.Harry S. Truman
10		Oren E. Long (1889–1965)	May 8, 1951 – February 28, 1953	Truman, Harry S.Harry S. Truman
11		Samuel Wilder King (1886–1959)	February 28, 1953 – August 29, 1957	Eisenhower, Dwight D.Dwight D. Eisenhower
12		William F. Quinn (1919–2006)	September 2, 1957 – August 21, 1959	Eisenhower, Dwight D.Dwight D. Eisenhower

Governors of the State of Hawaii

Hawaii officially became a U.S. state on August 21, 1959. Since then, there have been nine governors.

The governor is elected for a four-year term. Their term starts on the first Monday in December after the election. The lieutenant governor is also elected for the same four-year term. Since 1964, the governor and lieutenant governor run for office together on the same "ticket." This means you vote for both of them at once.

There's a rule that a governor can only serve two terms in a row. If the governor's office becomes empty, the lieutenant governor takes over. If the governor is out of the state or can't do their job, the lieutenant governor steps in temporarily.

Governors of the State of Hawaii

No.	Governor			Term of office	Party	Election	Lt. Governor
1			William F. Quinn (1919–2006)	August 21, 1959 – December 3, 1962	Republican	1959		Kealoha, JamesJames Kealoha
2			John A. Burns (1909–1975)	December 3, 1962 – December 2, 1974	Democratic	1962		Richardson, William S.William S. Richardson
								Ing, Andrew T.F.Andrew T.F. Ing
						1966		Gill, ThomasThomas Gill
						1970		Ariyoshi, GeorgeGeorge Ariyoshi
3			George Ariyoshi (b. 1926)	December 2, 1974 – December 1, 1986	Democratic	1974		Doi, NelsonNelson Doi
						1978		King, JeanJean King
						1982		Waiheʻe III, John D.John D. Waiheʻe III
4			John D. Waiheʻe III (b. 1946)	December 1, 1986 – December 5, 1994	Democratic	1986		Cayetano, BenBen Cayetano
						1990
5			Ben Cayetano (b. 1939)	December 5, 1994 – December 2, 2002	Democratic	1994		Hirono, MazieMazie Hirono
						1998
6			Linda Lingle (b. 1953)	December 2, 2002 – December 6, 2010	Republican	2002		Aiona, DukeDuke Aiona
						2006
7			Neil Abercrombie (b. 1938)	December 6, 2010 – December 1, 2014	Democratic	2010		Schatz, BrianBrian Schatz
							Vacant
								Tsutsui, ShanShan Tsutsui
8			David Ige (b. 1957)	December 1, 2014 – December 5, 2022	Democratic	2014
							Vacant
								Chin, DougDoug Chin
						2018		Green, JoshJosh Green
9			Josh Green (b. 1970)	December 5, 2022 – Incumbent	Democratic	2022		Luke, SylviaSylvia Luke

More About Hawaii's Leaders

• List of governors of Hawaii (island)
• List of governors of Maui
• List of governors of Oahu
• List of governors of Kauai
• List of Hawaii state legislatures