# 1959 Hawaii Senate election

The 1959 Hawaii Senate election was held on July 28, 1959, in Hawaii's last days as a territory to elect members of the first Hawaii State Legislature. All 25 seats of the Senate were up for election, with 14 seats being won by Republicans and 11 by Democrats.
Longtime territorial legislator William H. Hill from Hilo was elected President of the Senate, the first Senate president during statehood.

## Results by district

Source: "OFFICIAL TABULATION • RESULT OF VOTES CAST GENERAL ELECTION TUESDAY, JULY 28, 1959" (Document). Honolulu, HI: State of Hawaii Office of Elections. August 6, 1959. p. 3-37. Obtained from the State of Hawaii Office of Elections on 15 April 2024.

### District 1

Senate District 1, located on the eastern half of Hawaii, was entitled to five state senators.
1959 Hawaii Senate election, District 1 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | William H. Hill | 11,639 | 16.7% |
| | Democratic | Nelson K. Doi | 10,819 | 15.6% |
| | Democratic | John T. Ushijima | 8,266 | 11.9% |
| | Republican | Richard Lyman Jr. | 8,202 | 11.8% |
| | Democratic | Kazuhisa Abe | 7,901 | 11.3% |
| | Republican | Stafford L. Austin | 7,809 | 11.2% |
| | Democratic | Mark Norman Olds | 7,037 | 10.1% |
| | Republican | Wing Kong Chong | 4,835 | 6.9% |
| | Republican | Charles T. Hashimoto | 2,836 | 4.1% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 69,344 | 100.0 |

### District 2

Senate District 2, located on the western half of Hawaii, was entitled to two state senators.
1959 Hawaii Senate election, District 2 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Bernard G. Kinney | 3,056 | 32.6% |
| | Republican | Julian R. Yates Jr. | 2,871 | 30.6% |
| | Democratic | Shoji Kawahara | 2,586 | 27.6% |
| | Democratic | John K. Kiaha | 842 | 9.0% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 9,355 | 100.0 |

### District 3

Senate District 3, located on the islands of Kahoolawe, Maui, Molokai, and Lanai, was entitled to five state senators.
1959 Hawaii Senate election, District 3 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | George S. Fukuoka | 7,983 | 12.7% |
| | Democratic | Thomas S. Ogata | 7,869 | 12.5% |
| | Democratic | Nadao Yoshinaga | 7,715 | 12.3% |
| | Republican | Marquis F. Calmes | 7,703 | 12.3% |
| | Republican | Barney Tokunaga | 7,127 | 11.3% |
| | Republican | Herbert C. Jackson | 7,008 | 11.2% |
| | Democratic | John Gomes Duarte | 6,995 | 11.1% |
| | Republican | William O. Smith | 6,006 | 9.6% |
| | Republican | David K. Kahookele | 4,151 | 6.6% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 62,557 | 100.0 |

### District 4

Senate District 4, located in Honolulu on Oahu, was entitled to five state senators.
1959 Hawaii Senate election, District 4 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Hebden Porteus | 35,503 | 13.2% |
| | Republican | Yasutaka Fukushima | 30,614 | 11.4% |
| | Republican | Randolph Crossley | 27,282 | 10.1% |
| | Democratic | O. Vincient Espotito | 26,796 | 9.9% |
| | Republican | J. Ward Russell | 26,787 | 9.9% |
| | Democratic | Russell K. Kono | 26,666 | 9.9% |
| | Democratic | John J. Hulten | 25,401 | 9.4% |
| | Republican | Richard Sutton | 23,435 | 8.7% |
| | Democratic | Ernest K Kai | 22,417 | 8.3% |
| | Democratic | Anna Furtado Kahanamoku | 21,588 | 8.0% |
| | Commonwealth | William H. Crozier Jr. | 1,958 | 0.7% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 268,447 | 100.0 |

### District 5

Senate District 5, located on most of Oahu surrounding Honolulu, was entitled to five state senators.
1959 Hawaii Senate election, District 5 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | George R. Ariyoshi | 31,695 | 13.2% |
| | Democratic | Sakae Takahashi | 31,107 | 12.9% |
| | Republican | Lawrence Kunihisa | 26,112 | 10.8% |
| | Democratic | Steere G. Noda | 25,691 | 10.7% |
| | Republican | Calvin C. McGregor | 25,494 | 10.6% |
| | Republican | Peter Aduja | 24,620 | 10.2% |
| | Democratic | Philip Minn | 23,992 | 9.9% |
| | Democratic | Charles Ernest Kauhane | 19,789 | 8.2% |
| | Republican | Joseph L. Dwight Sr. | 17,094 | 7.1% |
| | Republican | Stephen R. Benchwich | 14,505 | 6.0% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 240,099 | 100.0 |

### District 6

Senate District 6, located on the islands of Kauai and Niihau, was entitled to three state senators.
1959 Hawaii Senate election, District 6 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Manuel Souza Henriques | 4,785 | 18.2% |
| | Republican | Abel Medeiros | 4,682 | 17.9% |
| | Democratic | William E. Fernandes | 4,655 | 17.7% |
| | Republican | Clint Shiraishi | 4,527 | 17.3% |
| | Republican | Yoshiichi Yoshida | 4,108 | 15.7% |
| | Democratic | William Y. Hayashi | 3,398 | 12.9% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 26,155 | 100.0 |