Nelson Doi

Nelson Doi
5th Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii
In office December 2, 1974 – December 2, 1978
Governor	George Ariyoshi
Preceded by	George Ariyoshi
Succeeded by	Jean King
Personal details
Born	January 1, 1922 (1922-01-01) (age 89)
Political party	Democratic
Profession	Judge, Politician

Nelson Doi, formally Nelson K. Doi (born January 1, 1922), was the fifth Lieutenant Governor of Hawaiʻi from 1974 to 1978 in the first elected administration of Governor of Hawaiʻi George Ariyoshi. Doi is a member of the Hawaiʻi Democratic Party.

Early and Legislative Years

Doi attended the University of Hawaii, where he was president of the Associated Students of the University of Hawaii from December 1944 to June 1945 (Yim).

Doi began his political career at the 1950 Hawaiʻi State Constitutional Convention that drafted the first state laws for Hawaiʻi that went into effect in 1959. During that Convention, Doi noted “a frustration that began to ferment” amongst the delegates (Arakawa and Pang). In the 1954 election, that frustration led to a huge victory for the Democrats, who seized control of what had been a territory dominated by Republicans. Doi, representing Hawaii Island, was one of the victorious Democrats. Other Democrats first elected in 1954 included U.S. Senator Dan Inouye, former Governor George Ariyoshi, the late U.S. Senator Spark Matsunaga.

After that victory in 1954, Doi then served fourteen years in the Hawaiʻi State Senate from 1955 to 1969. During his tenure in the Senate, Doi was frequently at odds with Governor John A. Burns and Senate Democratic leaders (McDannald).

In 1968, Doi was one of 82 delegates to the Hawaii Constitutional Convention held at McKinley High School. Among the issues addressed at the Convention were reapportioning legislative districts, mandating an annual 60-day legislative session, lengthening the terms of judges, authorizing collective bargaining for public employees, strengthening privacy rights for individuals, enhancing county home rule, and creating the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Other prominent political figures who were among the delegates were George Ariyoshi, Frank Fasi, and Patricia Saiki.

Judiciary and Lieutenant Governor

In 1970, Doi left the Hawaiʻi State Legislature, after being appointed to the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary as a circuit court judge where he served for five years. Also in 1970, Doi entered the race for Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii, at first aligning himself with fellow Democrat and gubernatorial candidate Thomas Gill. After disagreements with Gill on commitments on political appointments, Doi decided to run independently (Coffman). Ultimately, both Gill and Doi were defeated by John A. Burns and George Ariyoshi, respectively.

In 1974, Doi was chosen as the running mate for George Ariyoshi. Fourteen months earlier, Ariyoshi, the previous Lieutenant Governor, became Acting Governor upon the incapacitating illness of longtime Governor John A. Burns. Ariyoshi and Doi emerged victorious, becoming the first-ever Japanese Americans to hold simultaneously the Governor and Lieutenant Governor posts of any state in the U.S.

Later years

After his service as Lieutenant Governor, Doi ran for Mayor of Honolulu and was defeated by Frank Fasi. Doi also ran in the 1977 Honolulu Marathon, finishing in 4 hours, 30 minutes, and “besting his wife by just one minute” (Donnelly). In 1977, he also was appointed to then-territorial High Court of the Marshall Islands. Upon his retirement from that court, Doi taught at various schools in Japan. Doi returned to Waimea on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi where he helped build the Maharishi Yoga, Transcendental Meditation, and Erhard Seminars Training (EST).^{[citation needed]}

References

• Arakawa, Lynda and Gordon Y.K. Pang. “GOP aims for own revolution." Honolulu Advertiser. 13 June 2004. http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/Jun/13/ln/ln02a.html

• Ariyoshi, George R. With Obligation to All. University of Hawaii Press, 1997.

• Chapin, Helen G. Shaping History : The Role of Newspapers in Hawai'i. Honolulu, HI, USA: University of Hawaii Press, 1996. p 309.

• Coffman, Tom. The Island Edge of America: A Political History of Hawaii. University of Hawaii Press, 2003.

• Donnelly, Dave. “Hawaii.” Honolulu Star-Bulletin. 15 Dec. 2002. http://starbulletin.com/2002/12/15/features/donnelly.html

• “Former Lt. Gov. Doi still talking about politics in his retirement.” Honolulu Star-Bulletin. 18 Oct 2003. http://starbulletin.com/2003/10/18/news/whatever.html

• McDannald, Alexander Hopkins. The Americana Annual: An Encyclopedia of Current Events. University of Michigan, 1970.

• Van Dyke, Jon M.. “Time for a tune-up.” Honolulu Advertiser. 18 May 2008. http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080518/OPINION03/805180336/1110/OPINIONFRONT

• Yim, Susan. “Look Where the Presidents Have Gone.” Honolulu Star-Bulletin. June 1981. Viewable at http://www.asuh100.com/files/SB_Article_Past_ASUH_Presidents_All_Pages_LowRes.pdf

Political offices
Preceded by George Ariyoshi	Lieutenant Governor of Hawaiʻi 1974 - 1978	Succeeded by Jean King

Persondata
Name	Doi, Nelson
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	January 1, 1922
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death