The first lady or first gentleman of Hawaii is the spouse of the

governor of Hawaii , insignia = Logo of the Office of the Governor of Hawaii.png , insigniasize = 110px , insigniacaption = Gubernatorial logo , flag = Flag of the Governor of Hawaii.svg , flagborder = yes , flagcaption = Standard of the Governor , image ...

, an unpaid ceremonial position. Territorial spouses carved out their roles in varied ways, from traditional wives who raised the children and supported their husbands, to philanthropists and society hostesses. Perhaps the most personal insight into any of the spouses came from territorial governor

Sanford B. Dole Sanford Ballard Dole (April 23, 1844 – June 9, 1926) was a lawyer and jurist from the Hawaiian Islands. He lived through the periods when Hawaii was a Kingdom of Hawaii, kingdom, Provisional Government of Hawaii, protectorate, Republic of Hawa ...

. Three years after the death of Anna Prentice Cate Dole, he published a small book, "for those who loved and still love Anna—my dear wife" detailing their courtship and marriage, her love of poetry, and the admiration the first governor of the Territory of Hawaii had for his wife.

Nancy Quinn Nancy Ellen Quinn (January 15, 1919 – June 27, 2014) was an American public figure, former First Lady of Hawaii, and a prominent figure during Hawaii's Hawaii Admission Act, transition to statehood. Quinn, the wife of Governor William F. Quinn, ...

bridged the change of history, as the wife of the last governor of the Territory of Hawaii and first governor of the State of Hawaii. She believed her position was to put family first, being her husband's support in a place and time when Hawaii had not yet worked out financial accommodations for care of the governor's family.

Beatrice Burns Beatrice Majors Van Vleet Burns (February 2, 1906 – February 28, 1988) was the First Lady of Hawaii for three terms. Born in Oregon and raised in numerous states, she became a registered nurse, joined the United States Army Nurse Corps, and mov ...

was a nurse and polio survivor; so far, the only governor's spouse of Hawaii who served her term while in a wheelchair. The agendas of the first spouses have evolved as the country's social history has.

Jean Ariyoshi Jean Hayashi Ariyoshi (born October 30, 1934) was the First Lady of Hawaii for 12 years. Among her accomplishments were the reclamation of missing artifacts from the governor's mansion Washington Place, cataloguing the contents, and opening the ...

helped reforest Hawaii with "A Million Trees of Aloha."

Lynne Waihee Lynne Kobashigawa Waihee (born December 9, 1946) was First Lady of Hawaii from 1986 to 1994. Born in Hawaii and married to the first Native Hawaiian governor of the state, she was raised in Kalihi. Educated at Andrews University, her first vocat ...

put children's literacy first on her agenda.

Vicky Cayetano Vicky Tiu Cayetano is an American businesswoman and politician who was the first lady of Hawaii from 1997 to 2002. She and Governor Ben Cayetano were married on May 5, 1997, in Washington Place. During her tenure, she was instrumental in the cons ...

was a business owner before she married Governor

Ben Cayetano Benjamin Jerome Cayetano (born November 14, 1939) is an American politician and author who served as the fifth governor of the State of Hawaii from 1994 to 2002. He is the first Filipino American to serve as a state governor in the United State ...

. Through her business acumen, a trust fund was created to erect a new residence for Hawaii's governor.

First ladies of the Territory of Hawaii

First ladies of the State of Hawaii

See also

References

Bibliography

Further reading