University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Where was Neil Abercrombie educated from 1959 to 1964?
Neil Abercrombie Neil Abercrombie ( born June 26 , 1938 ) is an American politician who served as the seventh governor of Hawaii from 2010 to 2014 . He is a member of the Democratic Party . Born in Buffalo , New York , Abercrombie is a graduate of Union College and the University of Hawaii at Mānoa . He began his political career in 1975 , winning a seat in the Hawaii House of Representatives . He served in the Hawaii House until 1979 , when he was elected to the Hawaii State Senate . Upon the resignation of Cecil Heftel , who resigned from the U.S . House of Representatives to run for governor , Abercrombie was elected to his vacant seat in a special election in 1986 , but lost the Democratic primary for a full term on the same day . Abercrombie served the remainder of Heftels term until January 1987 . He served on the Honolulu City Council from 1988 to 1990 before returning to Congress in 1991 . Abercrombie served nine consecutive terms in the House from 1993 to 2010 , representing Hawaiis 1st congressional district , consisting of urban Honolulu . With incumbent Governor Linda Lingle prevented by term limits from running for reelection , Abercrombie declared his candidacy for governor in March 2009 . In September 2010 he won the five-candidate Democratic primary with 59% of the vote . Abercrombie went on to face Republican nominee , Lieutenant Governor Duke Aiona , in the general election . On November 2 , 2010 , Abercrombie and running mate Brian Schatz defeated Aiona with 57% of the vote . Abercrombie was sworn into office on December 6 , 2010 . Issues he faced during his tenure included the aftermath of the Great Recession and restructuring labor union pensions . In 2014 , he was defeated in the Democratic primary by state senator David Ige , who went on to win the general election . Early life and education . Abercrombie was born on June 26 , 1938 , in Buffalo , New York , the son of Vera June ( née Grader ) and George Donald Abercrombie . His ancestry includes English , Irish and German . His paternal great-grandfather James Abercrombie left Ireland for Canada ; his son then immigrated to the United States . After graduating from Williamsville High School ( now Williamsville South High School ) , Abercrombie pursued studies in sociology at Union College in Schenectady , New York , where he earned his bachelors degree in 1959 . He arrived in Honolulu in September 1959 to study at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa , where he earned a masters degree in sociology and later a doctorate in American Studies . At the university he befriended and attended classes with President Barack Obamas parents , Ann Dunham and Barack Obama Sr . To support himself as a graduate student , Abercrombie worked as a waiter at Chucks Steak House in Waikīkī , locker desk clerk at the Central YMCA , custodian at Mother Rice Preschool , construction apprentice program director , elementary school teacher , and a college lecturer . Political career . Abercrombie first participated in a political campaign in 1970 , seeking the Democratic nomination for U.S . Senate . Unsuccessful , Abercrombie ran for the Hawaii State House of Representatives , where he served from 1975 to 1979 . A distinguishing symbol of his early campaigns was a yellow Checker Taxi with his name and face painted on the side , the use of which was motivated by lack of money for traditional campaigning methods . The taxi became a symbol of both his standing as an outsider from the mainland and his unconventional style . In 1979 Abercrombie was elected to the Hawaii State Senate , where he served from 1980 to 1986 . After U.S . Representative Cecil Heftel resigned in July 1986 to run for governor of Hawaii , Abercrombie was elected to the House in a September 1986 special election to complete Heftels unexpired term . On the same day , he lost the Democratic primary for a full two-year term to Mufi Hannemann , who lost to Republican Pat Saiki in the general election . Abercrombie then set his sights on a seat of the Honolulu City Council . He won the race and served from 1988 to 1990 . U.S . Congress . At the end of his council tenure in 1990 , Abercrombie once again ran for Congress and won . He was reelected ten times . In the 2008 election he won with 70.6% of the vote . Abercrombie was a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and compiled a generally liberal voting record . He supported and voted for the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act . On October 10 , 2002 , he was among the 133 members of the House who voted against authorizing the 2003 invasion of Iraq . He cosponsored H.R . 1312 ( Assault Weapons Ban and Law Enforcement Protection Act of 2005 ) on July 28 , 2005 . He took issue with the Vatican over not listing torture as a sin . According to Project Vote Smart , Abercrombie holds the following issue positions : he is pro-choice , has voted against a ban on partial birth abortion , and has voted with the interests of NARAL and Planned Parenthood 100% of the time between 2000 and 2006 . He has voted for bills designed to make it easier for Americans to vote , such as the motor voter bill . He has advocated strongly for civil liberties ; his voting record is supported by both the American Civil Liberties Union ( ACLU ) and American Library Association . He was one of the 67 representatives to vote against the Defense of Marriage Act ( DOMA ) in 1996 and has also voted against a constitutional amendment proposed in 2006 to limit marriage to being between one man and one woman . He was one of only nine representatives not to cast a vote for or against the USA PATRIOT Act in 2001 . In 2005 he voted against the extension of the act , calling it a blank check to trample civil liberties . In 2007 he signed on as a co-sponsor of H.R . 676 , which would have established a national health insurance program . He resigned from Congress on February 28 , 2010 , to concentrate on his campaign for governor . Abercrombie served as chairman of the Armed Forces Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces and a senior member of the Natural Resources Committee . He co-authored landmark legislation creating public-private partnerships between the military and private developers to build , maintain and manage housing for military families . 2010 gubernatorial campaign . On March 9 , 2009 , Abercrombie announced his candidacy for governor of Hawaii . On December 11 , 2009 , he announced that he would resign from Congress to concentrate on his gubernatorial bid . He was succeeded in Congress by Republican Charles Djou , the first Republican elected to Congress from Hawaii since Pat Saiki . During his campaign , Abercrombie released his A New Day in Hawaii Plan , offering a roadmap based on Hawaiis values and priorities . The plan was the result of conversations with thousands of people and many hours of research . Abercrombie met with business people , entrepreneurs , economists , principals , teachers , parents , academics , public employees , farmers , nonprofit leaders , health professionals , students , seniors , conservationists , cultural practitioners , construction workers , and citizens of all backgrounds . He also held dozens of issue forums and meetings on every island to hear from residents about their concerns and hopes for Hawaii . Abercrombie defeated his challenger , former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann , in the 2010 Democratic gubernatorial primary election on September 18 , 2010 , 59.3% to 37.7% . On November 2 , 2010 , Abercrombie defeated Republican nominee Duke Aiona , 57.8% to 40.8% , to become Hawaiis 7th governor . In his November 3 victory speech he credited many people for his success , including the founder of the Department of Religion at the University of Hawaii Manoa , Dr . Mitsuo Aoki . Governor of Hawaii . Abercrombie was sworn in as governor of Hawaii on December 6 , 2010 , the first gubernatorial victor of the 2010 election cycle to be sworn into office . Abercrombie was 72 when he was sworn in as governor , and was the oldest current United States governor for a little less than a month . On January 3 , 2011 , he lost that title to Jerry Brown of California , who is two months older than Abercrombie . When Abercrombie took office , he vowed to end the investigations into President Obamas birth certificate . A spokesperson for Abercrombie said he would ask the office of the Attorney General what it could do . State Attorney General David M . Louie informed Abercrombie that state privacy laws prevent the release of an individuals birth documentation without the persons consent to persons who do not have a tangible interest in the document . According to polls , in October 2011 Abercrombie was the least popular governor in the country , with a 30% approval rating . In February 2011 Abercrombie signed into law a bill legalizing civil unions . His predecessor , Linda Lingle , had vetoed the legislation . In 2013 he called the Hawaii Legislature into a special session to consider a bill legalizing same-sex marriage , which he signed into law on November 13 . Upon the death of longtime Senator Daniel Inouye , Abercrombie had to appoint his replacement . The State Democratic Party gave him a list of three finalists and he chose Lieutenant Governor Brian Schatz , despite Inouyes stated wish that he select Colleen Hanabusa . Schatz is now Hawaiis senior U.S . Senator . Obama appointed Abercrombie to the Council of Governors , and he served from 2012 to 2014 . The council consists of 10 governors the president appoints to focus on national security , homeland defense , synchronization and integration of state and federal military activities in the United States and matters of mutual interest pertaining to the National Guard . In November 2013 Abercrombie was named to Obamas Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience , a group of governors , mayors and other leaders who were to develop recommendations on how the federal government could better support local preparedness and resilience-building efforts . Hawaii also signed on to the Majuro Declaration as a U.S . Climate Leader in September of that year , making the state the first sub-national government to sign . After an intense special session , Abercrombie signed into law a bill that legalized marriage for same-sex couples in Hawaii . The new law took effect on December 2 , 2013 . Hawaii was the 15th state to legalize same-sex marriage . In the August 9 , 2014 , Democratic gubernatorial primary , Abercrombie was defeated by state senator David Ige , taking just 31% of the vote to Iges 67% , making him the first incumbent governor to lose a primary in Hawaiis history . The margin of defeat was the largest for any incumbent governor in United States history ( though not the smallest share of the vote ) . Personal life . In 1981 Abercrombie married Nancie Caraway , a political scientist and feminist writer at the University of Hawaii at Mānoas Globalization Research Center . Abercrombie is an avid powerlifter and has a stated goal of lifting 200 pounds more than his age on each birthday . On his 72nd birthday he bench-pressed 272 pounds . In 2006 Abercrombie was named Scot of the Year by the Caledonian Society of Hawaii . Abercrombie lives in the Manoa Valley area of Honolulu . External links . - Neil Abercrombie for Governor - The African Activist Archive Project website includes Statement from Councilmember Neil Abercrombie for the Rally in Support of South African Freedom , March 21 , 1990