Flag of the governor of Hawaiʻi

Linda Lingle addresses the National Park Service on the 65th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor Attack.

The Governor of Hawaiʻi, also called Ke Kiaʻaina o Hawaiʻi, is the chief executive of the State of Hawaiʻi and its various agencies and departments, as provided in the Hawaiʻi State Constitution Article V, Sections 1 through 6. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by popular suffrage of residents of the state. The governor is responsible for enforcing laws passed by the Hawaiʻi State Legislature and upholding rulings of the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary. The role includes being commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Hawaiʻi and having the power to use those forces to execute laws, suppress insurrection and violence and repel invasion. The Lieutenant Governor of Hawaiʻi becomes acting governor upon the governor's absence from the state or disability from discharging duties. Historically, the Governor of Hawaiʻi has been from either the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi or Hawaiʻi Republican Party.

The current Governor of Hawaiʻi is Linda Lingle.

Qualifications

The Governor of Hawaiʻi is limited to two four-year terms. Inauguration takes place on the first Monday in December following a gubernatorial election. A single term ends at noon four years later. A Governor is:

• required to be at least 30 years old,
• required to have been a resident of Hawaiʻi for five consecutive years previous to election,
• barred from other professions or paid positions during the term.

Authority

Unlike all but two other states in the Union (Tennessee and New Jersey), Hawaiʻi has only one elected statewide officer in the Governor of Hawaiʻi. Also, the Governor of Hawaiʻi has wide-reaching authority comparably stronger than the other governors in the Union; administrative powers are more centralized than that of most other states with little authority devolved to the counties, and unlike other states there are no local school districts. It is because of this central authority that the Governor of Hawaiʻi is locally considered one of the most powerful governors in the United States. The governorship of Hawaiʻi has often been characterized by the Honolulu Advertiser, Honolulu Star-Bulletin and various other local media as an "elected monarchy" referring to the most current governors as "King Ben" and "Queen Linda" in headlines during their tenures. Included within the governor's sphere of jurisdiction is the power to appoint all judges of the various courts within the Hawaiʻi judicial system, subject to Senatorial approval.

The State of Hawaiʻi does not have fixed cabinet positions and departments. By law, the Governor of Hawaiʻi has the power to create his or her cabinet and departments as needed as long as the executive department is composed of no more than twenty bodies and cabinet members. The Governor of Hawaiʻi is also empowered to remove cabinet officers at will, with the exception of the Attorney General of Hawaiʻi, who must be removed by an act of the Hawaiʻi State Senate.

Residence

The Governor of Hawaiʻi's official residence is Washington Place, a mansion that was once a minor royal palace of Queen Liliʻuokalani and her husband, Prince Consort John Owen Dominis. The mansion is located across the street from the Hawaiʻi State Capitol, where the Office of the Governor is located, and is accessed from the Capitol through underground passages beneath Beretania Street in downtown Honolulu. Befitting of its history as a former minor royal palace, the Governors of Hawaiʻi have entertained royal families from around the world at Washington Place including Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Emperors Hirohito and Akihito of Japan.

In 2001, a new mansion for the governor was built on the grounds of Washington Place, after the state decided to turn Washington Place into a museum, an idea supported by then-Governor Benjamin J. Cayetano and family. This new mansion was completed in 2002 and Cayetano became the first governor to live in it for a few days before leaving office. His successor, Governor Linda Lingle, became the first governor to begin a term in the new mansion. Despite the building of this new mansion, Washington Place remains the official residence of the governor and is still used for state dinners and other official functions.

Trivia

Hawaiʻi was the first state to have an Asian American governor, George R. Ariyoshi. In all, the state has had two Asian American governors, one governor of Hawaiian ancestry, and three white governors.

List of governors

• List of governors of Hawaiʻi

External links

• Constitution of the State of Hawaiʻi
• Office of the Governor of Hawaiʻi