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| Affiliation | Democratic |
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| Name | John A. Burns |
| Address |
Honolulu, Hawai'i , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | None |
| Born |
March 30, 1909
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| Died | April 05, 1975
(66 years)
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| Contributor | Wishful Thinking |
| Last Modifed | Juan Croniqueur
Mar 16, 2024 01:04am |
| Tags |
Catholic -
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| Info | Delegate from the Territory of Hawaii; born in Fort Assinneboine, Mont., March 30, 1909; resident of Hawaii since May 30, 1913; attended school in Honolulu and Kansas; attended the University of Hawaii in 1930 and 1931; police officer, city and county of Honolulu, 1934-1945; chairman, Traffic Safety Commission, city and county of Honolulu, 1950-1954; president of Burns & Co., Ltd., real-estate broker; Honolulu Civil Defense Administrator 1951-1955; delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, and 1968; chairman of Honolulu County Democratic Committee 1948-1952; chairman of Territorial Democratic Central Committee 1952-1956; elected as a Democrat a Delegate to the Eighty-fifth and to the Eighty-sixth Congresses and served from January 3, 1957, to August 21, 1959, when Hawaii became a State in the Union; unsuccessful candidate for election as U.S. Senator in 1959; real-estate broker; elected Governor, State of Hawaii, in 1962, and reelected in 1966 and 1970; died in Honolulu, Hawaii, April 5, 1975; interment in Punchbowl National Cemetery.
As the man who presided over Hawaii's transformation from a backwater territory to a vital Pacific crossroads and 50th state, John Burns is likely the most important political figure of the latter half of the 20th century here in the islands.
Burns was a curious combination of gaunt, ascetic priest and bare-knuckles backroom brawler, a troubled kid who didn't graduate from high school until his 20s but spent millions on higher education, a firm father figure whose own father deserted the family, a man in the most prominent position in the islands who also shunned the spotlight, a former vice cop who had seen the worst of human behavior and become an ardent champion of civil and social rights, a public figure who despised public speaking, a white man embraced by other races, a card-carrying Hawaii Democrat when Democrats weren't cool, an autocrat who was a friend of labor, a devout Catholic who attended church every day and yet presided over Hawaii's legalization of abortion -- in other words, a conflicted politician and a man of his own times.
Burns passed away on April 5, 1975, 25 years ago, a short time after completing his third term as Hawaii's governor. He had actually retired early in October of 1973, due to illness. He was only 66, and never really got a chance to retire.
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