Biography
Mazie Keiko Hirono was elected in November 2006 to represent the 2nd District of Hawai‘i in the United States House of Representatives. When the 110th Congress convened in January 2007, she became the first immigrant woman of Asian ancestry to serve in Congress. She was previously the first woman of Asian ancestry born in a foreign land to be elected to a statewide office, having served two 4-years terms as the State of Hawaii’s ninth elected Lieutenant Governor. She was the Democratic Party candidate for Governor of Hawai‘i in 2002, then one of only a handful of women in the United States to win nomination for Governor.
She was born in Fukushima, Japan on Nov. 3, 1947. When Mazie was almost 8 years old, her mother fled an abusive marriage and moved the family to Hawai‘i. Mazie’s family consisted of her older and younger brothers, her grandparents and her mother. Mazie was naturalized a U.S. citizen in 1959, the year Hawai‘i became a state.
Educated in public schools in Hawai‘i, she graduated with honors from Kaimuki High School and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. She earned her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., where she focused on public interest law.
Mazie is married to attorney Leighton Kim Oshima. Her mother, Laura Hirono, resides with Mr. Oshima in Honolulu.
Congresswoman Hirono was appointed in January 2007 to key House Committees of great interest to her and her constituents in Hawai‘i: the Committee on Education and Labor (on which she serves on the Subcommittees on Early, Elementary & Secondary Education and Higher Education) and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (on which she serves on the Subcommittees on Aviation, Highways & Transit and Water Resources & Environment). In September 2007, she requested a waiver to serve on an additional Committee and was selected by House leadership to fill a vacant spot on the Committee on Small Business.
These assignments place Congresswoman Hirono in position to influence issues of critical importance to Hawai‘i and its people.
To learn more about Congresswoman Hirono’s committees and caucuses, click here.
A History of Public Service
Mazie served as a Deputy Attorney General in the Antitrust Division and later practiced law in the private sector with the firm of Shim, Tam, Kirimitsu, Kitamura and Chang.
Prior to her election as Lt. Governor, Mazie served for 14 years in the Hawai‘i State Legislature and earned a reputation as a dedicated consumer advocate and outspoken member and was a founder of the House Women’s Caucus. Over 120 of her bills became law, making her one of the most effective members of the Legislature during her 7 terms.
In her first term as Lt. Governor, Mazie directed Hawaii’s efforts to reform automobile and workers’ compensation insurance to protect consumers and workers, while making these insurance systems more affordable for individuals and businesses. She was the guiding force in the creation of the Hawai‘i Mutual Insurance Company (HEMIC), the state’s only employer owned private workers compensation insurance company.
She chaired the first-ever Governor’s Task Force on Science and Technology, bringing together representatives from both the public and private sectors, including the University of Hawai‘i, to focus on the role of technology in Hawaii’s future. She is the co-founder of University Connections, a group bringing the business and research communities together to support technology transfer and commercialization of research.
Committed to educational reform, she chaired Hawaii’s Policy Group of the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future and brought together education advocates and stake-holders from across the state. The group’s report, "The Magic Weavers: Securing the Future for Hawaii’s Children" describes the steps necessary to improve teacher quality, a key to students’ success in school. Mazie led the policy group’s lobbying at the legislature to successfully enact a comprehensive set of bills supporting teacher quality.
Mazie also led the state’s effort to bring about Pre-Plus, a public-private partnership to create pre-schools on elementary school campuses. Recognizing the importance of pre-school to better prepare our children for learning, Mazie successfully lobbied the legislature for $5 million in funds to build 13 preschools across the state.
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