The Hawaii State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state legislature is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Hawaii State House of Representatives, with 51 representatives, and an upper house, the 25-member Hawaii State Senate. There are a total of 76 lawmakers in the legislature, each representing single member districts across the islands. The powers of the legislature are granted under Article III of the Constitution of Hawaii. The legislature convenes at the Hawaii State Capitol building in the state capital of Honolulu, on the island of Oahu.
The Hawaiian Independent Party, was a political party active in Hawaii from 1900 to 1912. It was established by Robert Wilcox immediately after the United States annexed the Hawaiian Islands and established the Territory of Hawaii. The party was formed due to worries from Native Hawaiians that both the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i and Hawai‘i Republican Party were incapable of representing them.
The Hawaiian Organic Act, Pub.L. 56–339, 31 Stat. 141, enacted April 30, 1900, was an organic act enacted by the United States Congress to establish the Territory of Hawaii and to provide a Constitution and government for the territory. The Act was replaced by the Hawaii Admission Act on August 21, 1959, when the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Hawaii.
In 1898, the United States Congress annexed Hawaiʻi based on a Joint Resolution of Annexation. Questions about the legitimacy of the U.S. acquiring Hawaii through a joint resolution, rather than a treaty, were actively debated in Congress in 1898, and is the subject of ongoing debate. Upon annexation, the Republic of Hawai‘i transferred approximately 1.8 million acres of Hawaiian Government and Crown Lands to the United States (U.S.), which are today held by the State of Hawaiʻi. In the 1993 Apology Resolution, the U.S. government officially apologized to the Native Hawaiian people, acknowledging that the Republic of Hawaiʻi transferred these lands "without the consent of or any compensation to the Native Hawaiian people of Hawaiʻi or their sovereign government" and that "the indigenous Hawaiian people never directly relinquished their claims. .. over their national lands to the United States." Although the lands are commonly referred to as "ceded lands" or "public lands," some refer to them as "seized lands" or "Hawaiian national lands" to highlight the illegal nature of the land transfer, acknowledge different interpretations of the legal effect of the Joint Resolution, and to recognize that Native Hawaiians maintain claims to these lands. Many Native Hawaiian individuals and organizations insist on the return of title, which would be consistent with international law and recognition of the rights of Indigenous peoples, whereas others seek back rent for the use of the land.
The following table indicates the party of elected officials in the U.S. state of Hawaii:
The Hawaii Territorial Legislature was established on April 30, 1900, by the Hawaiian Organic Act which established the Territory of Hawaii as part of the United States. It was the legislative body of the Territory until Hawaii became a state in 1959.
Thomas Wright Everett was an early American resident of the Kingdom of Hawaii who served as the last Governor of Maui from 1892 to 1893.
David Kahalekula Kaʻauwai was a lawyer and politician of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He served two terms as a member of the House of Representatives of the Legislature of the Kingdom from 1854 to 1855. His father and younger brother were also legislators while his niece became a Princess of Hawaii.
William Pūnohuʻāweoweoʻulaokalani White was a Hawaiian lawyer, sheriff, politician, and newspaper editor. He became a political statesman and orator during the final years of the Kingdom of Hawaii and the beginnings of the Territory of Hawaii. Despite being a leading Native Hawaiian politician in this era, his legacy has been largely forgotten or portrayed in a negative light, mainly because of a reliance on English-language sources to write Hawaiian history. He was known by the nickname of "Pila Aila" or "Bila Aila" for his oratory skills.
George Panila Kamauoha was a Native Hawaiian politician of Hawaii. He served in the legislature of the Kingdom of Hawaii and the Republic of Hawaii and later in the Senate of the Territory of Hawaii.
Rosalie Enos Lyons Keliʻinoi was a Portuguese-Native Hawaiian politician of the Territory of Hawaii. In 1925, she became the first woman elected to the Hawaii Territorial Legislature, representing the island of Kauai.
The Thirtieth Legislature of the Territory of Hawaii was the final session of the Hawaii Territorial Legislature. The session convened in Honolulu, Hawaii, and ran from February 18 until May 2, 1959. This was the first session to comprise 25 senators and 51 representatives, avoiding potential equal representation which occurred in the House of Representatives during the 24th Hawaii Territorial Legislature.
The Twenty-Ninth Legislature of the Territory of Hawaii was a session of the Hawaii Territorial Legislature. The session convened in Honolulu, Hawaii, and ran from February 20 until May 7, 1957. This was the final session which comprised 15 senators and 30 representatives.
The Twenty-Eighth Legislature of the Territory of Hawaii was a session of the Hawaii Territorial Legislature. The session convened in Honolulu, Hawaii, and ran from February 16 until April 29, 1955. The majority of members of this Legislature were elected during the Hawaii Democratic Revolution of 1954.
The Twenty-Seventh Legislature of the Territory of Hawaii was a session of the Hawaii Territorial Legislature. The session convened in Honolulu, Hawaii, and ran from February 18 until May 19, 1953.
The Twenty-Sixth Legislature of the Territory of Hawaii was a session of the Hawaii Territorial Legislature. The session convened in Honolulu, Hawaii, and ran from February 21 until May 19, 1951.
The Twenty-Fifth Legislature of the Territory of Hawaii was a session of the Hawaii Territorial Legislature. A special session convened in Honolulu, Hawaii, and ran from July 26 until October 15, 1949.
The Twenty-Fourth Legislature of the Territory of Hawaii was a session of the Hawaii Territorial Legislature. The session convened in Honolulu, Hawaii, and ran from February 19 until May 3, 1947.
The Twenty-Third Legislature of the Territory of Hawaii was a session of the Hawaii Territorial Legislature. The session convened in Honolulu, Hawaii, and ran from February 21 until May 4, 1945. It was the final session convened in Hawaii during World War II, and the first session convened after martial law ended on October 24, 1944.
The Twenty-Second Legislature of the Territory of Hawaii was a session of the Hawaii Territorial Legislature. The session convened in Honolulu, Hawaii, and ran from February 7 until April 28, 1943. It was the only legislative session convened while Hawaii was under martial law during World War II.
