Immigrant of the Day: Mazie Keiko Hirono (Japan)

Mazie Keiko Hirono (born November 3, 1947) was the second Asian immigrant elected lieutenant governor of a state of the United States. A lifelong Democrat, she was elected Governor of Hawaii in 2002 and to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2006.

Hirono was born in Fukushima, Japan.  In 1955, Hirono’s mother immigrated to the United States with her children. Raised in Honolulu, Hirono enrolled at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa where she earned a B.A. in psychology. She received her J.D. from Georgetown and returned to Honolulu where she practiced law.

From 1980 to 1994, Hirono served in the Hawaii State Legislature. In 1994, she joined the ticket of incumbent Lieutenant Governor Benjamin J. Cayetano and was elected to a historic administration led by the first Filipino American governor and first Japanese immigrant lieutenant governor.

In 2002, Hirono was elected Governor of Hawaii. After her election to Congress in 2006, Hirono joined the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

KJ