BENJAMIN J. CAYETANO
Name: Benjamin Jerome Cayetano
Born: 14 November 1939 Honolulu, Hawaii
Benjamin Jerome "Ben" Cayetano (born November 14, 1939) served as the fifth
Governor of the State of Hawaii from 1994 to 2002. He is the first Filipino
American to serve as a state governor in the United States.
Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Cayetano was estranged from his mother at a young age.
Cayetano was raised by his father in Kalihi, an ethnic Filipino neighborhood
west of Downtown Honolulu. He would grow up as a latchkey child. In Kalihi, he
attended Wallace Rider Farrington High School, a public school aptly known
locally as "Home of the Governors" as its buildings were named after several
early Hawaii statesmen. The school was only a few blocks from his home.
Cayetano received poor grades throughout his years at Farrington and was often
disciplined by his teachers and counselors. He barely made marks qualifying him
to graduate.
Upon graduation Cayetano married Lorraine Gueco, his high school sweetheart.
After the birth of his son Brandon in 1959, he worked a variety of menial jobs,
such as a metal-packer in a junkyard, truck driver, apprentice electrician, and
finally as a draftsman. Frustrated by what he felt were racially motivated and
politically unfair hiring practices, he and his family moved to Los Angeles,
California in 1963 in pursuit of an education in law.
Cayetano attended Los Angeles Harbor College and eventually transferred to the
University of California, Los Angeles in 1966. In 1968, he graduated from UCLA
with a major in political science and minor in American history. In 1971, he
earned his Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School.
Cayetano joined the John D. Waihee III gubernatorial ticket in 1986 and became
the first Filipino American Lieutenant Governor in the United States. The Waihee/Cayetano
ticket was re-elected to a second term in 1990. In his capacity as Lieutenant
Governor, Cayetano established the A+ Program, an ambitious state-funded,
universal, after-school care program with chartered organizations at each public
elementary school in Hawaii. In creating the program, Cayetano was mindful of
his own latchkey child background growing up in Kalihi. The A+ Program became a
model for other school boards across the country to create similar projects.
Term limits forced Waihee into retirement and the Democratic Party nominated
Cayetano to run for Governor of Hawaii in 1994. With attorney Mazie K. Hirono
as his running mate, Cayetano was swept into office having defeated
Congresswoman Patricia Saiki and former Mayor of Honolulu Frank F. Fasi.
In 1998, Cayetano would face one of the toughest challenges to the Democratic
Party's stronghold over the Office of the Governor. Popular Mayor of Maui Linda
Lingle was nominated by the Republican Party to run against Cayetano on an
agenda of government reform. For months leading into election day, Cayetano
trailed Lingle in the major media polls. In the closest election in Hawaii's
history, Cayetano won a second term by a single percentage point validated by an
official recount of ballots.
Cayetano left office in December 2002 barred by law from seeking a third term.
He was succeeded by former Republican challenger Lingle who beat Hirono in
another tight race.
Throughout his tenure in office, Cayetano had to contend with economic
uncertainty and serious fiscal problems. Declining tax revenues led to budget
shortfalls that had to be addressed, and the fiscally conservative governor
often found himself at odds with his fellow Democrats in the state legislature
as he attempted to implement budget cuts to balance the state budget. Cayetano
gets most of the credit, however, for passing large cuts in the state income tax
to stimulate the state's economy.
On education, the Cayetano administration built thirteen new schools, and he was
able to persuade the teacher's union to extend the school year by seven days.
Also under his administration, the University of Hawaii system gained autonomy
over internal affairs. On the other hand, labor disputes with UH professors and
public school teachers in April 2001 led to simultaneous strikes by both unions
that crippled the state's entire educational system for three weeks.
Although his policy decisions may not have made him the most popular governor in
Hawaii, most observers credit the governor with having the courage to make
tough decisions in difficult times.
Name: Benjamin Jerome Cayetano
Born: 14 November 1939 Honolulu, Hawaii
Benjamin Jerome "Ben" Cayetano (born November 14, 1939) served as the fifth
Governor of the State of Hawaii from 1994 to 2002. He is the first Filipino
American to serve as a state governor in the United States.
Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Cayetano was estranged from his mother at a young age.
Cayetano was raised by his father in Kalihi, an ethnic Filipino neighborhood
west of Downtown Honolulu. He would grow up as a latchkey child. In Kalihi, he
attended Wallace Rider Farrington High School, a public school aptly known
locally as "Home of the Governors" as its buildings were named after several
early Hawaii statesmen. The school was only a few blocks from his home.
Cayetano received poor grades throughout his years at Farrington and was often
disciplined by his teachers and counselors. He barely made marks qualifying him
to graduate.
Upon graduation Cayetano married Lorraine Gueco, his high school sweetheart.
After the birth of his son Brandon in 1959, he worked a variety of menial jobs,
such as a metal-packer in a junkyard, truck driver, apprentice electrician, and
finally as a draftsman. Frustrated by what he felt were racially motivated and
politically unfair hiring practices, he and his family moved to Los Angeles,
California in 1963 in pursuit of an education in law.
Cayetano attended Los Angeles Harbor College and eventually transferred to the
University of California, Los Angeles in 1966. In 1968, he graduated from UCLA
with a major in political science and minor in American history. In 1971, he
earned his Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School.
Cayetano joined the John D. Waihee III gubernatorial ticket in 1986 and became
the first Filipino American Lieutenant Governor in the United States. The Waihee/Cayetano
ticket was re-elected to a second term in 1990. In his capacity as Lieutenant
Governor, Cayetano established the A+ Program, an ambitious state-funded,
universal, after-school care program with chartered organizations at each public
elementary school in Hawaii. In creating the program, Cayetano was mindful of
his own latchkey child background growing up in Kalihi. The A+ Program became a
model for other school boards across the country to create similar projects.
Term limits forced Waihee into retirement and the Democratic Party nominated
Cayetano to run for Governor of Hawaii in 1994. With attorney Mazie K. Hirono
as his running mate, Cayetano was swept into office having defeated
Congresswoman Patricia Saiki and former Mayor of Honolulu Frank F. Fasi.
In 1998, Cayetano would face one of the toughest challenges to the Democratic
Party's stronghold over the Office of the Governor. Popular Mayor of Maui Linda
Lingle was nominated by the Republican Party to run against Cayetano on an
agenda of government reform. For months leading into election day, Cayetano
trailed Lingle in the major media polls. In the closest election in Hawaii's
history, Cayetano won a second term by a single percentage point validated by an
official recount of ballots.
Cayetano left office in December 2002 barred by law from seeking a third term.
He was succeeded by former Republican challenger Lingle who beat Hirono in
another tight race.
Throughout his tenure in office, Cayetano had to contend with economic
uncertainty and serious fiscal problems. Declining tax revenues led to budget
shortfalls that had to be addressed, and the fiscally conservative governor
often found himself at odds with his fellow Democrats in the state legislature
as he attempted to implement budget cuts to balance the state budget. Cayetano
gets most of the credit, however, for passing large cuts in the state income tax
to stimulate the state's economy.
On education, the Cayetano administration built thirteen new schools, and he was
able to persuade the teacher's union to extend the school year by seven days.
Also under his administration, the University of Hawaii system gained autonomy
over internal affairs. On the other hand, labor disputes with UH professors and
public school teachers in April 2001 led to simultaneous strikes by both unions
that crippled the state's entire educational system for three weeks.
Although his policy decisions may not have made him the most popular governor in
Hawaii, most observers credit the governor with having the courage to make
tough decisions in difficult times.