In an era when Hawaii was becoming essentially a one-party state and Republicans were headed toward non-existence, State Rep. Gene Ward was a battler for conservative causes and candidates. He did so as it was obvious he was not going to any office beyond that of state representative from an East Honolulu district.
The Aloha State elected only one GOP governor since 1962 (Linda Lingle, who served from 2002-2010), last elected a Republican U.S. Senator in 1970, and boasted only three out of 25 state senators and six out of 52 state representatives. The Republican ranks in the House of Representatives were actually seven seats until April 2, when Minority Leader Ward, after 26 non-consecutive years in office, died at 82.
Ward knew the score and often told fellow Republican lawmakers: “We don’t have the votes, but we have a VOICE!”. This axiom he lived, in vociferously raising the causes of fiscal and cultural conservatism in a state that was “terra incognita” to both.
And he was also a man of prayer and faith, who chose to wear it in his heart rather than on his sleeve.
“One of my most vivid memories came during some of the more difficult internal caucus debates,” State Rep. Diamond Garcia, who served as Ward’s chief of staff before becoming a state legislator himself, recalled to Newsmax, “When tensions would rise and frustration would set in, Gene would return to the office, close the door, and invite me to kneel with him in prayer. We would seek God’s wisdom and ask for unity and humility. He would often quote Micah 6:8: ‘What does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?’”
Some Ward-fans were surprised to learn upon his death that the man who seemed to ooze passion for Hawaii was actually a “houle”—a non-Native Hawaiian. Born and raised in Conneaut, Ohio, the young Ward came to the island in 1965 to study at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and eventually earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees and a Ph. D there.
He joined the Peace Corps and was sent to the island of Borneo, which is shared by Malaysia and Indonesia. There, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, he helped oversee “clearing 10, 000 acres of jungle, establishing oil palm plantations and developing roads, bridges, villages and a school where he became principal.”
“My crew chief for the jungle clearance project was an ex-head-hunter who used to squat down with me and smoke cigarettes while we planned our next step, ” Ward later recalled, “It was a real hands-on lesson on working with people from incredibly diverse backgrounds.”
A true polyglot, Ward became proficient in Malay, Indonesian, and Vietnamese — the later being of tremendous assistance with him during his service in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. Following his discharge, he did a stint with the United Nations office in Malawi, Africa.
But Ward’s romance with Hawaii never really ended and, with his international adventures over, he settled in Honolulu. In 1988, he served as state co-chairman of Pat Robertson’s bid for the Republican presidential nomination. After Robertson lost to George H.W. Bush, Ward supported the then-vice president and cast Hawaii’s votes for him at the GOP National Convention.
That same year, Ward applied his tireless work ethic and good nature to a race for the Hawaii House of Representatives but lost by a “squeaker” (250 votes) to Democratic incumbent Fred Hirayama. Two years later, Ward turned the tables on Hirayama and won by 300 votes.
After eight years and three easy re-elections, Ward sensed that veteran Democratic Rep. Neal Abercrombie was in trouble. In his last two trips to the polls, Abercrombie had been held to under 50 percent of the vote by Vietnam POW and Republican Orson Swindle. Now it was Ward’s turn and, as usual, he stumped tirelessly. But it was not to be. 1998 was a Democratic year and, with Democrats turning out in larger-than-usual numbers for an off-year to show support for President Bill Clinton against the Republican move to impeach him, Abercrombie defeated Ward by 59 to 36 percent. Abercrombie was elected governor in 2010.
Undaunted, Ward went on to serve as an assistant administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) under George W. Bush and as country director for the Peace Corps in Timor
But Hawaii and politics still beckoned him. In 2006, when his old state House district opened, Ward won with ease. He rose to become minority leader until, as his health declined and he announced his retirement last month at age 82.
For one always considered a conservative stalwart, Ward pointed to a very unlikely inspiration for his passion for politics: John F. Kennedy. As a Peace Corps veteran, he proudly considered himself one of “Kennedy’s children.”
“I’m a product of Kennedy idealism that put me in the jungles of Borneo without electricity or running water for two years to prove that you can make a difference,” he liked to say, “Without the Peace Corps, I would not be in politics.”
In the last week, flowers decked Ward’s desk on the floor of the House and colleagues sang “Hawaii i Aloha.” Democratic Gov. Josh Green ordered flags flown at half-mast at the Capitol for someone whose death he called “a profound loss for Hawaii.”
But colleague and protégé Diamond Garcia perhaps said it best: “Gene carried himself with dignity and humility, even when he stood alone. He never wavered in his commitment to conservative values, yet always operated with grace, intelligence, and aloha.”
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