List of governors of Hawaii

"Governors of Hawaii" redirects here. For a list of governors of the Hawaiian Kingdom, see Governors of Hawaii (island).
Governor of Hawaii
Ke Kiaʻaina o Hawaiʻi
Gubernatorial standard
Incumbent
Josh Green
since December 5, 2022
ResidenceWashington Place
Term lengthFour years, renewable once
PrecursorGovernor of Hawaii Territory
Inaugural holderWilliam F. Quinn
FormationAugust 21, 1959
(65 years ago) (1959-08-21)
DeputyLieutenant Governor of Hawaii
Websitegovernor.hawaii.gov
Flag of the governor
Flag of the governor before statehood in 1959

The governor of the State of Hawaii is the head of government of Hawaii,[1] and commander-in-chief of the state's military forces.[2] The governor has a duty to enforce state laws;[2] the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Hawaii Legislature;[3] the power to convene the legislature;[4] and the power to grant pardons, except in cases of treason and impeachment.[2]

Of the eight governors of the state, two have been elected to three terms, four have been elected to two terms, and one has been elected to one term. No state governor has yet resigned or died in office, nor did any territorial governor die in office. George Ariyoshi was the first Asian American to be governor of any U.S. state. The current governor is Democrat Josh Green, who took office on December 5, 2022.

The longest-serving governors are John A. Burns (1962–1974) and George Ariyoshi (1974–1986), both of whom served 12 years each.

  1. ^ HI Const. art. V, § 1
  2. ^ a b c HI Const. art. V, § 5
  3. ^ HI Const. art. IV, § 16
  4. ^ HI Const. art. IV, § 10