Helene Hale | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from the 4th district | |
| In office 2000–2006 | |
| Succeeded by | Faye Hanohano |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Helene Eleanor Hilyer (1918-03-23)March 23, 1918 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | February 1, 2013(2013-02-01) (aged 94) Hilo, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | William Hale (div. 1967) Richard Kiyota (m. 1978) |
| Relatives | Ralph Bunche (uncle) |
Helene Eleanor Hale (née Hilyer; March 23, 1918 – February 1, 2013) was an American politician from the state of Hawaii.[1]
Biography
Hale was born Helene Eleanor Hilyer in Minneapolis, Minnesota on March 23, 1918.[2][3] She was multiracial, her grandfather was the first African-American to graduate from the University of Minnesota and her uncle Ralph Bunche was the first African American to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Hale was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated.[4] She married William Hale, a teacher from Nashville, and the two taught in California before deciding to move to Kona after hearing about the town in a Don Blanding poem in 1947. She then taught in public schools and opened Menehune Book Store.
From 1955 until 1963 she served on the Hawaiʻi County Council. From 1963 until 1965 she was the County's Chairman and Executive Officer, which is now the Mayor of Hawaiʻi County. In that position, she was the first woman to serve as a mayor in Hawaii.[3] The Merrie Monarch Festival began in 1963 when Hale, then Executive Officer of Hawaii, decided to create an event to increase tourism to the Island of Hawaii.[5] She was featured on the cover of Ebony in 1963 and described as "Hawaii's Top Woman Politician."[6]
In 2000, at the age of 82, Hale won a seat in the Hawaii House of Representatives as a Democrat.[2] She served six years representing the 4th district in the legislature before retiring in 2006 following a stroke.
See also
References
- ^ "Former Big Island lawmaker Helene Hale dies at 94 - Hawaii News Now - KGMB and KHNL". Hawaii News Now. February 3, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
- ^ a b John Burnett (February 3, 2013). "State's first woman mayor dies at 94". West Hawaii Today. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
- ^ a b Burnett, John (February 3, 2013). "Helen Hale remembered as 'amazing woman'". Hawaii Tribune Herald. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
- ^ Bradley, Estyr (June 10, 1938). "Social and Personal". MINNEAPOLIS SPOKESMAN. p. 3.
- ^ "History of the Merrie Monarch Festival". Merrie Monarch Festival official site. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
- ^ "Hawaii's Top Woman Politician". Ebony: 1, 51–56. April 1963.
External links
- "Legislature 2006: The House" January 15, 2006 Honolulu Advertiser
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