Elizabeth Wu Danielson

**Elizabeth Wu Danielson** (née **Wu**; born 17 December 1932) is a Hawaiian politician, lawyer, and educator who served as Prime Minister of Hawaii from 1975 to 1980. Wu Danielson was first elected to the National Assembly of Hawaii in 1970, and later served as Leader of the Hawaiian National Party from 1974 to 1980.

Born to a Chinese-Hawaiian family in Honolulu, Wu Danielson graduated from Punahou School in 1950, one of the most prestigious high schools in Hawaii. After graduating, Wu Danielson moved to California to attend the University of Los Angeles, graduating with dual degrees in political science and sociology in 1954. She returned to Hawaii afterwards and received her law degree from the University of Hawaii School of Law in 1957. After receiving her law degree, Wu Danielson began working as a prosecutor for the City and County of Honolulu; she balanced her career as a prosecutor while also being a mother of four children, something rare in mid-20th-century Hawaiian society. In 1966, Wu Danielson left her job as a prosecutor and began working at the University of Hawaii School of Law as a law professor. She left her professor job in 1969 to begin her political career.

Wu Danielson's political career began after being included on the Hawaiian National Party ticket for the 1970 Hawaiian general election. The party ended up winning enough seats in the National Assembly, and Wu Danielson was elected to parliament. While in parliament, Wu Danielson became a household name due to her leadership in the women's empowerment movement of the 1970s; she frequently proposed and cosponsored various bills intended to better the situation of Hawaiian women. Following the announcement that Prime Minister William Calverton would not seek a third term due to a brain cancer diagnosis, Wu Danielson announced her candidacy for the 1974 Hawaiian National Party leadership election. She went on to win the election, becoming the first woman to lead a major political party in Hawaii. Wu Danielson led the party in the 1975 election, where the party lost seats but maintained control of parliament due to a coalition with the Liberal-Conservative Party; following the election, Wu Danielson was sworn in as the first ever female Prime Minister of Hawaii, and the second of Asian-Hawaiian origin.

In the 1980 election, the HNP continued to lose seats and with the Liberal-Conservatives as the new parliamentary majority, Wu Danielson was not reelected as Prime Minister. She subsequently resigned as party leader as well and was succeeded by Bettina Davis. Wu Danielson served the remainder of her term as a member of parliament, before retiring from politics in 1985. After retiring, Wu Danielson returned to her law career, working at her husband's law firm, while also beginning speaking engagements.

## Early life and family

Wu Danielson was born on 17 December 1932 in Honolulu to parents Edwin (1902–1997) and Julie Wu (née *Zhu*; 1910–2007). Edwin was born in Honolulu to parents who had immigrated to Hawaii from Beijing, China, while Julie was born in Shenyang, China and came to Honolulu with her family as an infant. Growing up, Wu Danielson spoke both Mandarin and English, and was raised in a "traditional Chinese family". Edwin worked as a criminal defense attorney, while Julie was a housewife-turned-small business owner who owned a chain of nail salons throughout Honolulu. The family was quite affluent, and Wu Danielson spent her youth in the wealthy Kāhala neighborhood of Honolulu. She is the middle of three children; her elder brother is Robert (1931–2017), and her younger sister is Deborah, born  (1936-07-17) 17 July 1936 (age 87). Both Robert and Deborah worked as attorneys.

## Education and law career

Wu Danielson began her education in 1939, attending Punahou School, an independent coeducational K–12 school in Honolulu. After skipping the third grade, she began high school in 1946, later graduating in 1950. While a high school student, Wu Danielson played on the varsity tennis team and graduated as her class's salutatorian. Afterwards, she moved to California to attend the University of Los Angeles. At ULA, Wu Danielson had a dual major in political science and sociology, and graduated in 1954. She returned to Hawaii shortly afterwards and enrolled in the University of Hawaii School of Law, receiving her law degree in 1957.

After graduating law school, Wu Danielson was admitted to the Hawaiian Bar Association and was permitted to begin practicing law. She received a job as a prosecutor for the City and County of Honolulu, where she made her career prosecuting a number of offenders charged in crimes against women or children. After working as a city prosecutor for ten years, Wu Danielson left her job to begin teaching law at her alma mater the University of Hawaii School of Law. Wu Danielson worked as a law professor for two years before resigning to begin a political career. She returned to law in 1985, and began working in criminal defense law at her husband's law firm Danielson, James, and Associates. Wu Danielson retired from her law career in 1998.

## Political career

### National Assembly

In 1969, Wu Danielson was invited by the by the Hawaiian National Party to be included on their ticket for the 1970 Hawaiian general election. The party ultimately won enough seats for Wu Danielson to be seated, and she became a member of the National Assembly. While in parliament, Wu Danielson became a household name due to her leadership in the women's empowerment movement of the 1970s; she frequently proposed and cosponsored various bills intended to better the situation of Hawaiian women.

### Prime Minister of Hawaii

Following the announcement that Prime Minister William Calverton would not seek a third term due to a brain cancer diagnosis, Wu Danielson announced her candidacy for the 1974 Hawaiian National Party leadership election. After passing through the parliamentary votes, she advanced to the vote of all registered members of the Hawaiian National Party against Matthias Greene. The voting remained open for a month, and on 14 December she was declared the winner with 53.5% of the vote to Greene's 46.5%, becoming leader of the Hawaiian National Party and the first woman to lead a major political party in Hawaii. Many pundits credited Wu Danielson's win to female voters.

Wu Danielson led the party in the 1975 election, where the party lost seats but maintained control of parliament due to a coalition with the Liberal-Conservative Party; following the election, Wu Danielson was sworn in as the first ever female Prime Minister of Hawaii, and the second of Asian-Hawaiian origin. In the 1980 election, the HNP continued to lose seats and with the Liberal-Conservatives as the new parliamentary majority, Wu Danielson was not reelected as Prime Minister. She subsequently resigned as party leader as well and was succeeded by Bettina Davis. Wu Danielson served the remainder of her term as a member of parliament, before retiring from politics in 1985.

## Personal life

Wu Danielson met John Danielson in 1955, while they both attended the University of Hawaii School of Law. They began a romantic relationship, becoming engaged in 1957 and married the following year. Initially, Wu Danielson's parents did not approve of Danielson, as they wished for their daughter to marry a Chinese man. However, after their engagement they began accepting Danielson into the family. Wu Danielson and Danielson have four children together; their children include Julie Anna, born  (1959-11-13) 13 November 1959 (age 64), Edwin "Eddie", born  (1961-02-19) 19 February 1961 (age 62), Helena, born  (1962-10-04) 4 October 1962 (age 61), and Jeffrey, born  (1963-12-24) 24 December 1963 (age 60).

The Danielson family resided in the Kāhala neighborhood of Honolulu for the majority of their time together, except for a five-year stay in the Prime Minister's Mansion during Wu Danielson's tenure as Prime Minister of Hawaii from 1975 to 1980.