Eduardo Enabore Malapit (April 6, 1933 – August 27, 2007) was an American Democratic

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

who served as

Mayor of Kauai The Mayor of Kauai is the chief executive officer of the County of Kauai in the state of Hawaii. The mayor has municipal jurisdiction over the islands of Kauai and Ni’ihau. Derek Kawakami was elected on November 6, 2018, as the mayor of Kauai ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

. Elected for four consecutive two-year terms as mayor of Kauai beginning in 1974, he was the first

Filipino American Filipino Americans ( fil, Mga Pilipinong Amerikano) are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipinos and other Asian ethnicities in North America were first documented in the 16th century as slaves and prisoners on ships sailing to and from New ...

mayor of any United States

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

. He was widely respected in Kauai and throughout Hawaii for his belief in

community service Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community without any form of compensation. Community service can be distinct from volunteering, since it is not always performe ...

, and was known as "Mala" by friends and constituents.

Early life

Eduardo Malapit was born in Kauai on April 6, 1933. He was raised in the town of Hanapepe. Malapit's father and mother, Eusebio and Leonila Malapit, owned the Hanapepe

Pool Hall A billiard, pool or snooker hall (or parlour, room or club; sometimes compounded as poolhall, poolroom, etc.) is a place where people get together for playing cue sports such as pool, snooker or carom billiards. Such establishments commonly ser ...

during the 1960s. He often worked as a shoeshiner in front of his parents' business. Malapit attended Waimea High School in Kauai, where he played football. Malapit obtained a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...

from the

University of Hawaii A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

. He went on to receive a

jurisprudence Jurisprudence, or legal theory, is the theoretical study of the propriety of law. Scholars of jurisprudence seek to explain the nature of law in its most general form and they also seek to achieve a deeper understanding of legal reasoning a ...

degree from the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic university, Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin fo ...

Law School in 1962. He worked as a public prosecutor after graduation.

Political career

Eduardo Malapit's first public office was as a councilman on the Kauai County Council for eight years. Malapit was elected as

in 1974, becoming the first mayor of

descent in the United States. Malapit served as mayor for four consecutive two-year terms (total of 8 years) from 1974 until 1982. According to news reports, Malapit kept a pair of firefighting boots hidden behind a curtain in his office while mayor in order to respond quickly to emergencies. Malapit oversaw a development boom, as well as difficult periods, while mayor of Kauai. Malapit is often credited with improving and updating Kauai's infrastructure during his tenure as mayor. Under his authority, Kauai's

public parks A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. ...

were renovated. Brand new

community center Community centres, community centers, or community halls are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole co ...

police station A police station (sometimes called a "station house" or just "house") is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, ...

fire station __NOTOC__ A fire station (also called a fire house, fire hall, firemen's hall, or engine house) is a structure or other area for storing firefighting apparatuses such as fire engines and related vehicles, personal protective equipment, fire ...

sewage treatment Sewage treatment (or domestic wastewater treatment, municipal wastewater treatment) is a type of wastewater treatment which aims to remove contaminants from sewage to produce an effluent that is suitable for discharge to the surrounding e ...

plants, and garbage transfer stations were built on the island. However, Malapit's term as mayor also coincided with the Nukoli'i development, which caused an island-wide controversy. Malapit's own mayoral office was heavily damaged by a

pipe bomb A pipe bomb is an improvised explosive device which uses a tightly sealed section of pipe filled with an explosive material. The containment provided by the pipe means that simple low explosives can be used to produce a relatively huge explos ...

. It is believed that Malapit was targeted because of the Nukoli'i development. The perpetrators of the bombing were never captured and are still at large. Malapit left the mayor's office in 1982. His next post as a public official was the chairman of the Hawaii state Board of

Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the la ...

and

Industrial Relations Industrial relations or employment relations is the multidisciplinary academic field that studies the employment relationship; that is, the complex interrelations between employers and employees, labor/trade unions, employer organizations, ...

. Malapit held that post from 1983 to 1987. Malapit served as the

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

's representative for the County of Kauai from 1987 to 1990. He also worked as a part-time

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judic ...

Community service

Malapit was known in Kauai for his leadership in

. He held the positions of president and legal adviser for the Kauai

Pop Warner football Pop Warner Little Scholars, commonly known simply as Pop Warner, is a nonprofit organization that provides activities such as American football, for over 425,000 youths aged 5 to 16 years old, in several nations. It is the largest youth footbal ...

league. He also served as president of the West Kauai Jaycees. Malapit also worked with a number of other sports related organizations including the

Koloa Kōloa is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Kauai County, Hawaii, United States. The population was 2,231 at the 2020 census, up from 1,942 at the 2000 census. The first successful sugarcane plantation in the Hawa ...

Youth Baseball Organization. Additionally, Malapit served as president of the Koloa school PTA and the Koloa

Lions Club The International Association of Lions Clubs, more commonly known as Lions Clubs International, is an international non-political service organization established originally in 1916 in Chicago, Illinois, by Melvin Jones. It is now headquartere ...

. He worked as the director of the Hawaii Visitors Bureau, a statewide position. A practicing

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

, Malapit was appointed to the Kauai Catholic Vicariate board which advises the

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

on issues facing local Kauai

Catholic schools Catholic schools are pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered under the aegis or in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest religious, non-governmental school syst ...

. Malapit was also active on the Kauai Filipino Community Council.

Death

Eduardo Malapit died on Monday, August 27, 2007 at

Wilcox Memorial Hospital Wilcox Medical Center is part of Hawaii Pacific Health's network. One of Kauai island's three hospitals, Wilcox Medical Center provides Kauai residents with an imaging center, emergency department, and surgical center. History George Norton Wil ...

Lihue Lihue or Līhue is an unincorporated community, census-designated place (CDP) and the county seat of Kauai County, Hawaii, United States. Lihue (pronounced ) is the second largest town on the Hawaiian island of Kauai after Kapaa. As of the 2010 ...

, Kauai, Hawaii. He was 74 years old. Malapit was survived by his wife, Elizabeth, to whom he had been married for 45 years, and four sons, Kevin, Lon, Kent and Lyle.

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

Mazie Hirono Mazie Keiko Hirono (; Japanese name: , ; born November 3, 1947) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Hawaii since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Hirono previously served as a member of t ...

(D-HI) commented on Malapit's life, "He was my friend and supporter. He was a colorful and humble man who had a great sense of loyalty and friendship. I will certainly miss Mala." Malapit had supported Hirono during her successful run for

Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii The lieutenant governor of Hawaii ( haw, Hope kiaʻāina o Hawaiʻi) is the assistant chief executive of the U.S. state of Hawaii and its various agencies and departments, as provided in the Article V, Sections 2 though 6 of the Constitution of H ...

in 1994.

External links

Office of the Mayor of Kaua'i

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malapit, Eduardo 1933 births 2007 deaths Mayors of Kauai Kauai County Council members Hawaii lawyers University of Hawaiʻi alumni Notre Dame Law School alumni American mayors of Filipino descent American politicians of Filipino descent People from Kauai County, Hawaii 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American lawyers Hawaii politicians of Filipino descent