Thomas Ponce Gill (April 21, 1922 – June 3, 2009), was a Hawaii politician. A member of the Democratic party, he served in the United States Congress from 1963 to 1965 and was Lieutenant Governor of Hawaiʻi from 1966 to 1970. He unsuccessfully ran for governor twice, in 1970 and 1974.
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Early life
Born in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, Gill attended public schools (Lincoln Elementary and Roosevelt High School)[1]. He was a decorated infantryman in the Pacific Theatre during World War II, earning a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart[1].
After the war, he attended law school at Boalt Hall at UC-Berkeley and began practicing law in Hawaii.[2]
Career
Gill served in Hawaii's territorial state legislature and, after statehood in 1959, became a member of the first state house delegation. He was elected to one of his state's two Congressional seats in 1962 and served one term. In Congress, he was a staunch supporter of liberal causes, including civil rights. He then worked as the director of Hawaii's Office of Economic Opportunity. In 1966, he was elected Lieutenant Governor with incumbent Governor John A. Burns.
During his term as Lieutenant Governor, Gill, considered outspoken and acerbic, developed differences with Burns, and was never shy about criticizing the incumbent, despite being part of his administration. In 1970, Gill challenged Burns in the Democratic primary. Gill ran as a reformer, campaigning against what he described as an entrenched, corrupt political machine. He narrowly lost, even though Burns significantly outspent him in a savvy campaign that included sophisticated use of expensive image-building television spots. Most in the state's large Japanese population remained loyal to Burns, who had spearheaded their rise to political power during the 1950s. The race still stands as the closest anyone has come to a primary defeat of an incumbent governor of Hawaii.[3] Gill ran in the primary for governor again in 1974, but lost again in the primary to George Ariyoshi, who had succeeded him as lieutenant governor. After failing both campaigns, he resumed his career as a lawyer.
Personal life
Gill has two sons who have been involved in Hawaiian politics. His son Gary served on the Honolulu City Council and son Tony is a labor lawyer who considered seeking the governorship in 2006. Gill died in 2009 in Honolulu, aged 87.[2]
References
- ^ a b The Thomas P. Gill Papers, University of Hawaiʻi Library
- ^ a b Tom Gill, 87, was wild card of politics
- ^ Coffman, Tom (1986). Catch a Wave: Case Study of Hawaii's New Politics. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0824802705.
External links
- Thomas Gill at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Honolulu Star-Bulletin article on role in 1964 Civil Rights Act
- University of Hawai'i Biography of Thomas Gill
| United States House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by Daniel Inouye |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii's At-large congressional district 1963-1965 |
Succeeded by Patsy Mink |
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