James Kealoha

James Kimo Kealoha (April 29, 1908 – August 24, 1983) was an American politician in Hawaii. He was the first elected lieutenant governor of Hawaii after Hawaii became a state in 1959, serving under Governor William F. Quinn. A Chinese Hawaiian from the island of Hawaii, he was the first Hawaiian Chinese elected to statewide office in the United States.

James K. Kealoha
1st [[Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii]]
In office August 21, 1959 – December 3, 1962
Governor	William F. Quinn
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	William S. Richardson
Chairman of Hawaii County
In office 1948–1959
Member of the Hawaii County Board of Supervisors
In office 1940–1948
Member of the Hawaii Territorial Senate
In office 1938–1940
Member of the Hawaii Territorial House of Representatives
In office 1934–1938
Personal details
Born	James Kealoha (1908-04-29)April 29, 1908 Pahoa, Territory of Hawaii, U.S.
Died	August 24, 1983(1983-08-24) (aged 75) Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Party	Republican
Spouse	Muilan Young
Children	2
Education	Hilo High School
Occupation	Politician, businessman

Kealoha began his political career as a Democrat in the Territory of Hawaii, serving in both houses of the territorial legislature. He later joined the Republican Party, became a leading Big Island Republican, and served six consecutive terms as chairman of Hawaii County. In 1959, he was selected as Quinn's running mate in the first gubernatorial election of the new state. He later broke with Quinn and unsuccessfully challenged him in the 1962 Republican gubernatorial primary. After leaving office, Kealoha made further unsuccessful campaigns for the United States House of Representatives in 1966 and for mayor of Hawaii County in 1968.

Early life and business career

Kealoha was born on April 29, 1908, in Pahoa on the island of Hawaii. His parents were Lee Chau and Alice Makinui Kealoha. His father was a Cantonese immigrant who had come to Hawaii as a plantation laborer. Kealoha was raised by his grandparents and adopted their surname; in Hawaii's Chinese community, he was also known as Lee Yat Wo (李日和).

He graduated from Hilo High School in 1926 and worked as a clerk for Kwong See Wo, a grocery store in Hilo. In 1929, he married Muilan Young, with whom he had two daughters, Leihulu Emma and Leiohu Lillie. The following year, he opened his own grocery business, which he operated until 1948, when he devoted himself full-time to his campaign for the chairmanship of Hawaii County.

Territorial political career

Kealoha entered politics in 1934, when he was elected to the Hawaii Territorial House of Representatives at the age of 26. He was reelected two years later. In 1938, he was elected to the Hawaii Territorial Senate. He served as speaker pro tempore in the House and president pro tempore in the Senate. Because of his early electoral success and wide margins of victory, he became known as the "Wonder Boy" of Hawaii politics.

Kealoha originally belonged to the Democratic Party but switched to the Republican Party in 1938, saying that he was dissatisfied with internal disputes among Democrats. In 1940, he was elected to the Hawaii County Board of Supervisors. He was reelected to three successive terms, lost a race for county chairman in 1946, and then won the chairmanship in 1948. He subsequently served six consecutive terms as Hawaii County chairman.

Kealoha's strength in Hawaii County helped the Republican Party maintain a foothold on the Big Island during the rise of Hawaii's Democratic Party in the 1950s. According to Distinguished Asian Americans, Hawaii County was the only area to withstand the Democratic landslide in the 1954 territorial elections, sometimes called Hawaii's "bloodless revolution".

Lieutenant governor of Hawaii

In 1959, after Hawaii achieved statehood, the Republican Party selected Kealoha as its candidate for lieutenant governor. William F. Quinn, the party's candidate for governor, had publicly suggested Kealoha for the "No. 2" post in April 1959, saying that Kealoha had "served long and well" and would be a welcome partner. Kealoha initially said he would discuss the idea with his supporters before deciding whether to run.

The Quinn–Kealoha ticket defeated the Democratic ticket of John A. Burns for governor and Mitsuyuki Kido for lieutenant governor. Kealoha's local birth and personal popularity were seen as balancing the Republican ticket. In his later account of the 1959 election, Boylan and Holmes wrote that Republicans also presented a more ethnically diverse top ticket than the Democrats, with Quinn, Kealoha, Hiram Fong, Wilfred Tsukiyama, and Charles Silva representing different ethnic communities in the leading statewide and congressional races.

As lieutenant governor, Kealoha performed both political and ceremonial duties. A December 1959 profile in The Honolulu Advertiser reported that he had recently completed an eight-day period as acting governor and had not ruled out seeking the governorship in 1962. In the interview, Kealoha said that the job's demands were increasing and that he intended to ask the legislature for an administrative assistant.

Relations between Quinn and Kealoha deteriorated during their administration. The 1959 profile reported that the two had previously clashed over patronage appointments, although Kealoha said the relationship had improved. Distinguished Asian Americans later described the pairing as less successful than Republicans had expected, saying that Kealoha, formerly a powerful Hawaii County chairman, was dissatisfied with the limited duties of the lieutenant governorship and disagreed with Quinn over patronage. Boylan and Holmes similarly wrote that Republican disunity aided Burns in 1962 and quoted Quinn as recalling "petty bickering" with Kealoha from the beginning of the administration.

1962 gubernatorial primary

In 1962, Kealoha challenged Quinn in the Republican gubernatorial primary. During the campaign, he presented himself as a "native son" and "local boy". A Honolulu Star-Bulletin profile described him as the only "native son" among the four major candidates for governor and noted his Hawaiian-Chinese ancestry.

Kealoha campaigned against Quinn's "Second Mahele" land proposal, arguing that existing land laws already allowed the government to provide land to residents at affordable prices. He also opposed Quinn's highway trust fund plan and supported placing police powers within the counties rather than the state government. Quinn defeated Kealoha in the Republican primary by 44,095 votes to 33,277. Quinn then lost the general election to Burns.

After the primary, Quinn sought to reconcile with Kealoha and appointed him to a three-year post as executive officer of the Hawaii exhibit at the 1964 New York World's Fair.

Later campaigns and business activities

Kealoha remained politically active after leaving statewide office. In 1966, he ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the United States House of Representatives against Democratic incumbent Spark Matsunaga. During the campaign, he surprised both parties by taking a strong anti-war position on the Vietnam War. Distinguished Asian Americans states that he opposed further expansion of the war and proposed ending the bombing of North Vietnam without conditions demanded from Hanoi. Local press reports said that his position surprised Matsunaga and cheered Democrats by exposing a split among Republicans. In 1968, he ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Hawaii County.

Kealoha was also involved in world exposition projects. In 1967, while representing a Hawaii group operating a restaurant and show concession at Expo 67 in Montreal, he filed a bankruptcy petition in Montreal Superior Court on behalf of the concession. The exhibit, called "Passport to Paradise", had involved performers and workers from Hawaii, but the project encountered unpaid bills and internal organizational problems. The biographical dictionary also records the bankruptcy filing and states that Kealoha later experienced another financial setback in 1977, when he and his wife became victims of a hotel and condominium scam.

Personal life and death

Kealoha married Muilan Young in 1929. They had two daughters, Leihulu Emma and Leiohu Lillie. He was known for his affable personality, and the middle initial "K" in his name was said to stand for "Kimo", a name he added himself.

In his later years, Kealoha grew papayas in Hawaii and owned a farm in Salem, Oregon. He died at St. Francis Hospital in Honolulu on August 24, 1983, at the age of 75.

Legacy

James Kealoha Park in Hilo was named in his honor in 1963. John R. K. Clark's Beaches of the Big Island describes the park as named for Kealoha as a former Hawaii County chairman and the first elected lieutenant governor of Hawaii. The park is also known locally as "Four Miles" or "4 Miles", a name derived from its distance from the Hilo Post Office.