page_title: George Ariyoshi
section_title: Personal life
hierarchical_section_title: George Ariyoshi / Personal life
caption_attribution_description: Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi and former Gov. Georger Ariyoshi and former first lady Jean Ariyoshi during the reception for the Sister Cities Summit held Sept. 13 in Honolulu. Both the former governor and Mayor Kenoi spoke during the Asia Pacific Clean Energy Summit held concurrently with the Sister Cities Summit.
context_page_description: George Ryoichi Ariyoshi is an American lawyer and politician who served as the third governor of Hawaii from 1974 to 1986. A Democrat, he is Hawaii's longest-serving governor and the first American of Asian descent to serve as governor of a U.S. state. He assumed gubernatorial powers and duties when Governor John A. Burns was declared incapacitated in October 1973 and was elected in 1974, becoming the first Asian-American to be elected governor of a U.S. state or territory. His lengthy tenure is a record likely to remain unbroken due to term limits enacted after he left office. Ariyoshi is now considered an elder statesman of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi.
context_section_description: Ariyoshi married Jean Miya Hayashi in 1955 in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. They have a daughter, Lynn, born in 1957; and two sons, Ryozo, born in 1959, and Donn, 1961.
  In her book Washington Place: A First Lady's Story, Jean Ariyoshi credits former police officer Larry Mehau as becoming responsible for her family's safety. Mehau was also named "Neighbor Islands Coordinator" for her husband's campaign for governor. In the book she states that Mehau, although having a reputation as being honest and tough, was nicknamed in the press as "the Godfather". She does not mention why he was given this nickname, but the press did so because he was accused of having ties to the criminal underworld, many claiming that he was the top boss of organized crime in Hawai'i. According to Jean Ariyoshi, Mehau offered his help but told her husband: "I know I'm controversial, so don't put me up in front."  Her husband responded: "I've known you for a long time and I've known you to be a good and honest person. What kind of friend would I be if I said 'I want your help but I don't want anyone to know you're helping me?' I'm not afraid to have people know of our friendship." In his own 200-page autobiography, With Obligation to All, George Ariyoshi does not mention Larry Mehau at all.
  Ariyoshi has also served as president of the Hawaii Bar Association and served on the board of directors for First Hawaiian Bank, the Honolulu Gas Company and Hawaiian Insurance Guaranty Company. He also served on the board of governors at the East-West Center, based in Honolulu, an internationally-known education and research organization that was established by U.S. Congress. As governor, he is credited with revitalizing the organization, and joined the board when his term as governor ended. He served five terms as chairman, until he was not reappointed by Republican Governor Linda Lingle in 2003.
  He is the oldest living former governor of Hawaii.
caption: Ariyoshi with Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi and former first lady Jean Ariyoshi in 2011
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