APAICS | Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies

Service, Hard Work, Commitment

Senate President Colleen Hanabusa is a yonsei, fourth generation American of Japanese ancestry.  Her heritage foretells a life of service, hard work and the deep-seated values of countless Hawaii families whose ancestors came here to follow their hopes and dreams.

Senator Hanabusa’s maternal great-grandparents emigrated from Japan for life on a Hawaii sugar plantation.

Her grandparents were born on and worked for the Waianae Plantation. Her maternal grandfather was the plantation carpenter who built and maintained the water flumes which took water from Makaha and Waianae Valley to Lualualei.

Her paternal great-grandparents were entrepreneurs who made and sold tofu to the plantation. Her paternal grandfather was the plantation fisherman, called Sampan Joe by some, and sold his catch to the plantation store.

Both grandfathers were interned during the war – her Ojichan went to the mainland and Grandpa Muroda went to Honouliuli apparently for their work as founders of the Waianae Hongwanji Mission.

Her Hanabusa Jichan was also recognized by the Emperor of Japan in 1977 with the 6th Class Order of the Sacred Treasure Award, an honor he received for his community service.

Senator Hanabusa is the daughter of June and Isao Hanabusa, who ran a well-known gas station in Waianae. Her father worked for a kamaaina company, Gaspro, Inc., and to the day he died, served as a director for the successor entity, Lenakona, Inc. Because her parents were busy running the family business, Senator Hanabusa was raised by her maternal grandmother.

Ikebana, Strong and Balanced

Growing up, Senator Hanabusa’s regular schooling was complemented by Japanese language school, Sunday school and Ikebana lessons taught to her by the Rev. Hakuai Oda.

Ikebana, Senator Hanabusa will tell you, provides a foundation of values for the way she lives today. The “shin” or main branch is what sets the arrangement.  If your shin is not strong and balanced, then the arrangement will fall. Her shin is the basis for her respect for her elders and native Hawaiians.

This philosophy along with her work ethic and activism helped fuel a desire to better the lives of residents in her community leading to a career as a lawyer and a lawmaker.

She graduated from St. Andrew’s Priory and then attended the University of Hawaii at Manoa where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Sociology in 1973 and Master of Arts in Sociology in 1975. In 1977, she received her law degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law.

Serving the People of our State

In November 1998, Senator Hanabusa, in her first run for public office, was elected to serve the people of the Twenty-First District as their State Senator. Out of the block, people saw her potential to achieve and accomplish great things.

In 1999, in a front page news feature story, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin called the first-time lawmaker the “Leader of the Pack” for standing out in the crowd of 13 members of the Legislature’s freshman class.

She was described by colleagues on both sides of the aisle as outspoken, independent and politically courageous.  She also played an instrumental role in the 1998 general election recount and for getting the then-attorney general to apologize for implying that the voting problems in that election stemmed from the education level of Leeward Coast residents.

In her freshman legislative year, Senator Hanabusa served as Chair of the Senate Committee on Water, Land & Hawaiian Affairs (1999-2000), a time she describes as one of the more rewarding periods in her legislative career.

Her accomplishments also included being named Vice-President of the State Senate and Vice-Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means (2001-2002), appointed Co-Chair of the Joint Senate-House Investigative Committee concerning the Felix Consent Decree (2001), Co-Chair of the Joint House-Senate Task Force on Ice and Drug Abatement (2003-2004), and Chair of the Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee and Majority Leader (2003-2006).  In November 2006, she was elected President of the Senate, the first woman to lead either house in the Hawai‘i legislature.

During the past 11 years in public office, she has pushed through countless pieces of legislation and led important committees to do things like hold the state Departments of Education and Health accountable for addressing the needs of special education children by spending tax dollars wisely, and addressing the scourge of the drug “ice” or crystal methamphetamine with a combination of prevention, treatment and stiffer penalties.

Senator Hanabusa has been recognized for her work as a State Senator including being named outstanding legislator by several organizations.

Aside from her duties as a State Senator, Senator Hanabusa is a practicing attorney with more than 30 years of experience.  She is a Lifetime Member in The National Registry of Who’s Who and has been recognized in “The Best Lawyers in America,” Woodward/White, Inc. (1995-2009).  The 2005-2006 edition marks her 10-year Anniversary.  Since 1993, she has been noted in Honolulu Magazine’s as “One of Hawai`i’s A+ Attorneys.”  In 2004, she received the Martindale-Hubbell, AV rating, the highest rating for lawyers and in 2009, she received the American Bar Association, Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity, Spirit of Excellence Award.

[Official Bio from Campaign Website]