Previous Governors of Hawaii

Joshua Booth Green is an American politician and physician serving since 2022 as the ninth governor of Hawaii. A member of the Democratic Party, he served from 2018 to 2022 as the 15th lieutenant governor of Hawaii. From 2004 to 2018, he was a member of the Hawaii State Legislature.

David Yutaka Ige is an American politician and engineer who served as the eighth governor of Hawaii from 2014 to 2022. A Democrat, he served in the Hawaii State Senate from 1994 to 2014 and the Hawaii House of Representatives from 1985 to 1994.

Neil Abercrombie is an American politician who served as the seventh governor of Hawaii from 2010 to 2014. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

Linda Lingle is an American politician and publisher who served as the sixth governor of Hawaii from 2002 to 2010. A member of the Republican Party, she was the first Republican elected governor of Hawaii since 1959, and was the state's first female and Jewish governor. Prior to serving as governor, Lingle served as mayor of Maui County from 1991 to 1999 and as chair of the Hawaii Republican Party from 1999 to 2002. As of 2025, Lingle and her lieutenant governor, Duke Aiona, are the last Republicans to have won or held statewide office in Hawaii.

Benjamin Jerome Cayetano is an American politician and author who served as the fifth governor of Hawaii from 1994 to 2002. He is the first Filipino American to serve as a state governor in the United States.

John David Waiheʻe III is an American politician who served as the fourth governor of Hawaii from 1986 to 1994. He was the first American of Native Hawaiian descent to be elected to the office from any state of the United States. After his tenure in the governor's office, Waiheʻe became a nationally prominent attorney and lobbyist.

George Ryoichi Ariyoshi was an American lawyer and politician who served as the third governor of Hawaii from 1974 to 1986. A Democrat, he was Hawaii's longest-serving governor and the first American of Asian descent to serve as governor of a U.S. state. He assumed gubernatorial powers and duties when Governor John A. Burns was declared incapacitated in October 1973 and was elected in 1974, becoming the first Asian-American to be elected governor of a U.S. state or territory. His lengthy tenure of over 13 years is a record likely to remain unbroken due to term limits enacted after he left office.

John Anthony Burns was an American politician. Burns was born in Montana and became a resident of Hawaii in 1913. He served as the second governor of Hawaii from 1962 to 1974.

William Francis Quinn OESSH was an American lawyer and politician. He served as the 12th and last governor of the Territory of Hawaii from 1957 to 1959 and the first governor of the State of Hawaii from 1959 to 1962. Originally appointed to the office by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Quinn was the last executive appointed by an American president, after American rule of the Hawaiian Islands began after the overthrow of the monarchy in 1893. He was also the last Republican to serve as governor until Linda Lingle in 2002. Quinn appeared as a guest on the television program What's My Line. He was the recipient of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, a papal knighthood conferred by Pope John Paul II. He was the state's first Republican governor.

William Francis Quinn OESSH was an American lawyer and politician. He served as the 12th and last governor of the Territory of Hawaii from 1957 to 1959 and the first governor of the State of Hawaii from 1959 to 1962. Originally appointed to the office by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Quinn was the last executive appointed by an American president, after American rule of the Hawaiian Islands began after the overthrow of the monarchy in 1893. He was also the last Republican to serve as governor until Linda Lingle in 2002. Quinn appeared as a guest on the television program What's My Line. He was the recipient of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, a papal knighthood conferred by Pope John Paul II. He was the state's first Republican governor.