Ben Cayetano
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Jerome "Ben" Cayetano (born November 14, 1939) 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 States
.
, Cayetano was estranged from his mother at a young age. Cayetano was raised by his father in Kalihi
, an ethnic Filipino neighborhood west of Downtown Honolulu. He would grow up as a latchkey child. In Kalihi, he attended Wallace Rider Farrington High School
, a public school aptly known locally as "Home of the Governors" as its buildings were named after several early Hawaii statesmen. The school was only a few blocks from his home. Cayetano received poor grades throughout his years at Farrington and was often disciplined by his teachers and counselors. He barely made marks qualifying him to graduate.
Upon graduation Cayetano married Lorraine Gueco, his high school sweetheart. After the birth of his son Brandon in 1959, he worked a variety of menial jobs, such as a metal-packer in a junkyard
, truck driver
, apprentice electrician
, and finally as a draftsman
. Frustrated by what he felt were racially motivated and politically unfair hiring practices, he and his family moved to Los Angeles
, California
in 1963 in pursuit of an education in law.
Cayetano attended Los Angeles Harbor College
and eventually transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles
in 1966. In 1968, he graduated from UCLA with a major in political science
and minor in American history. In 1971, he earned his Juris Doctor
degree from Loyola Law School
.
He then began his career in public service in 1972 when he was appointed to the Hawaii Housing Authority http://www.hcdch.hawaii.gov/. In 1974, he was elected to the state house
as a Democrat representing the Honolulu district of Pearl City.
gubernatorial ticket in 1986 and became the first Filipino American Lieutenant Governor
in the United States. The Waihee/Cayetano ticket was re-elected to a second term in 1990. In his capacity as Lieutenant Governor, Cayetano established the A+ Program, a state-funded, universal, after-school care program with chartered organizations at each public elementary school in Hawaii.
Frank F. Fasi.
In 1998, Cayetano would face one of the toughest challenges to the Democratic Party's stronghold over the Office of the Governor. Popular Mayor of Maui
Linda Lingle
was nominated by the Republican Party to run against Cayetano on an agenda of government reform. For months leading into election day, Cayetano trailed Lingle in the major media polls. In the closest election in Hawaii's history
, Cayetano won a second term by a single percentage point validated by an official recount of ballots.
Cayetano left office in December 2002 barred by law from seeking a third term. He was succeeded by former Republican challenger Lingle who beat Hirono in another tight race.
Throughout his tenure in office, Cayetano had to contend with economic uncertainty and serious fiscal problems. Declining tax revenues led to budget shortfalls that had to be addressed, and the fiscally conservative governor often found himself at odds with his fellow Democrats in the state legislature as he attempted to implement budget cuts to balance the state budget.
On education, the Cayetano administration built thirteen new schools, and he was able to persuade the teachers' union to extend the school year by seven days. Also under his administration, the University of Hawaii
system gained autonomy over internal affairs. On the other hand, labor disputes with UH professors and public school teachers in April 2001 led to simultaneous strikes by both unions that crippled the state's entire educational system for three weeks.
in the musical film
It Happened at the World's Fair
.
He has three children from his first marriage: Brandon, Janeen, and Samantha. He also has two children from Vicky, Marissa and William.
He appeared as himself in an episode of Baywatch Hawaii
in 1999.
Governor of Hawaii
The Governor of Hawaii is the chief executive of the state of Hawaii and its various agencies and departments, as provided in the Hawaii 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...
of the State of Hawaii from 1994 to 2002. He is the first Filipino American
Filipino American
Filipino Americans are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipino Americans, often shortened to "Fil-Ams", or "Pinoy",Filipinos in what is now the United States were first documented in the 16th century, with small settlements beginning in the 18th century...
to serve as a state governor in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Early years
Born in Honolulu, HawaiiHonolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
, Cayetano was estranged from his mother at a young age. Cayetano was raised by his father in Kalihi
Kalihi
thumb|300px|Historically, Kalihi was an [[ahupua'a|ahupuaʻa]], or area of land ruled by chief or king and managed by the members of the [[alii|alii]]Kalihi is a neighborhood community of Honolulu on the island of Oʻahu in Hawaiʻi, United States...
, an ethnic Filipino neighborhood west of Downtown Honolulu. He would grow up as a latchkey child. In Kalihi, he attended Wallace Rider Farrington High School
Farrington High School
Governor Wallace Rider Farrington High School is a public secondary school located in the Kalihi district of Honolulu on the island of Oahu, Hawaii....
, a public school aptly known locally as "Home of the Governors" as its buildings were named after several early Hawaii statesmen. The school was only a few blocks from his home. Cayetano received poor grades throughout his years at Farrington and was often disciplined by his teachers and counselors. He barely made marks qualifying him to graduate.
Upon graduation Cayetano married Lorraine Gueco, his high school sweetheart. After the birth of his son Brandon in 1959, he worked a variety of menial jobs, such as a metal-packer in a junkyard
Wrecking yard
A scrapyard or junkyard is the location of a dismantling business where wrecked or decommissioned vehicles are brought, their usable parts are sold for use in operating vehicles, while the unusable metal parts, known as scrap metal parts, are sold to metal-recycling companies...
, truck driver
Truck driver
A truck driver , is a person who earns a living as the driver of a truck, usually a semi truck, box truck, or dump truck.Truck drivers provide an essential service to...
, apprentice electrician
Electrician
An electrician is a tradesman specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, stationary machines and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the maintenance and repair of existing electrical infrastructure. Electricians may also...
, and finally as a draftsman
Technical drawing
Technical drawing, also known as drafting or draughting, is the act and discipline of composing plans that visually communicate how something functions or has to be constructed.Drafting is the language of industry....
. Frustrated by what he felt were racially motivated and politically unfair hiring practices, he and his family moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1963 in pursuit of an education in law.
Cayetano attended Los Angeles Harbor College
Los Angeles Harbor College
Los Angeles Harbor College is one of two community colleges serving the South Bay region of Los Angeles. LAHC serves mainly students from Harbor City, Carson, San Pedro, Gardena, Lomita, Wilmington and the Palos Verdes Peninsula....
and eventually transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
in 1966. In 1968, he graduated from UCLA with a major in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
and minor in American history. In 1971, he earned his Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree from Loyola Law School
Loyola Law School
Loyola Law School is the law school of Loyola Marymount University, a private Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions, in Los Angeles, California. Loyola was established in 1920. Like Loyola University Chicago School of Law and Loyola University New Orleans College of Law , it...
.
He then began his career in public service in 1972 when he was appointed to the Hawaii Housing Authority http://www.hcdch.hawaii.gov/. In 1974, he was elected to the state house
Hawaii House of Representatives
The Hawaii House of Representatives is the lower house of the Hawaii State Legislature. Accord to Article III, Section 3 of the Hawaii Constitution, amended during the 1978 constitutional convention, the House of Representatives consists of 51 members representing an equal amount of districts...
as a Democrat representing the Honolulu district of Pearl City.
Lieutenant governor
Cayetano joined the John D. Waihee IIIJohn D. Waihee III
John David Waihee III 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, Waihee became a nationally prominent attorney and...
gubernatorial ticket in 1986 and became the first Filipino American Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
in the United States. The Waihee/Cayetano ticket was re-elected to a second term in 1990. In his capacity as Lieutenant Governor, Cayetano established the A+ Program, a state-funded, universal, after-school care program with chartered organizations at each public elementary school in Hawaii.
Cayetano administration
Term limits forced Waihee into retirement and the Democratic Party nominated Cayetano to run for Governor of Hawaii in 1994. With attorney Mazie K. Hirono as his running mate, Cayetano was swept into office having defeated Congresswoman Patricia Saiki and former Mayor of HonoluluMayor of Honolulu
The Mayor of Honolulu is the chief executive officer of the City and County of Honolulu and considered the third most powerful official in the U.S. state of Hawaii, behind the Governor of Hawaii and the Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii...
Frank F. Fasi.
In 1998, Cayetano would face one of the toughest challenges to the Democratic Party's stronghold over the Office of the Governor. Popular Mayor of Maui
Mayor of Maui
The Mayor of Maui is the chief executive officer of the County of Maui in the state of Hawaii. He or she has municipal jurisdiction over the islands of Kahoolawe, Lanai, Maui and Molokai...
Linda Lingle
Linda Lingle
Linda Lingle was the sixth Governor of Hawaii. Lingle holds a number of distinctions: first Republican elected governor of Hawaii since the departure of William F...
was nominated by the Republican Party to run against Cayetano on an agenda of government reform. For months leading into election day, Cayetano trailed Lingle in the major media polls. In the closest election in Hawaii's history
History of Hawaii
The human history of Hawaii includes phases of early Polynesian settlement, British arrival, unification, Euro-American and Asian immigrators, the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, a brief period as the Republic of Hawaii, and admission to the United States as Hawaii Territory and then as the...
, Cayetano won a second term by a single percentage point validated by an official recount of ballots.
Cayetano left office in December 2002 barred by law from seeking a third term. He was succeeded by former Republican challenger Lingle who beat Hirono in another tight race.
Throughout his tenure in office, Cayetano had to contend with economic uncertainty and serious fiscal problems. Declining tax revenues led to budget shortfalls that had to be addressed, and the fiscally conservative governor often found himself at odds with his fellow Democrats in the state legislature as he attempted to implement budget cuts to balance the state budget.
On education, the Cayetano administration built thirteen new schools, and he was able to persuade the teachers' union to extend the school year by seven days. Also under his administration, the University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
system gained autonomy over internal affairs. On the other hand, labor disputes with UH professors and public school teachers in April 2001 led to simultaneous strikes by both unions that crippled the state's entire educational system for three weeks.
Personal life
Cayetano is currently married to the former Vicky Tiu Liu http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0864581/, whom he married on May 5, 1997, over thirty years after she had played a major supporting role opposite Elvis PresleyElvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
in the musical film
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
It Happened at the World's Fair
It Happened at the World's Fair
It Happened at the World's Fair is a 1963 musical film starring Elvis Presley as a cropdusting pilot.The motion picture was filmed in Seattle, Washington, site of the Century 21 Exposition, the 1962 World's Fair. The governor of Washington at the time, Albert Rosellini, suggested the setting to...
.
He has three children from his first marriage: Brandon, Janeen, and Samantha. He also has two children from Vicky, Marissa and William.
He appeared as himself in an episode of Baywatch Hawaii
Baywatch
Baywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran in its original title and format from 1989 to 1999, sans the 1990-1991 season, of which it was not in production...
in 1999.
Electoral history
External links
- Ben: A Memoir, From Street Kid to Governor by Benjamin J. Cayetano. ISBN 978-0-9790647-0-8.