Neil Abercrombie

Early life and education

Abercrombie was born 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 direct paternal great-grandfather James Abercrombie left Ireland for Canada, his son then immigrated to the United States. Upon graduating from Williamsville High School (now Williamsville South High School), he went on to pursue studies in sociology at Union College in Schenectady, New York, where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1959. He arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii, a month after statehood in September 1959 to study at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa where he earned a master's degree in sociology and later a doctorate in American Studies. At the university he befriended and attended classes with the parents of President Barack Obama, Ann Dunham and Barack Obama Sr.

To support himself as a graduate student, Abercrombie worked as a waiter at Chuck’s 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 to the United States Senate. Unsuccessful, Abercrombie ran for the Hawaii State House of Representatives where he served from 1975 to 1979. A distinguishing symbol of Abercrombie's early campaigns was a yellow Checker Taxi with his name and face painted on the side, the use of which was motivated by a 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. He moved to the Hawaii State Senate, where he served from 1980 to 1986. After Representative Cecil Heftel resigned from the United States Congress in July 1986 to run for Governor of Hawaiʻi, Abercrombie was elected to the House in a September 1986 special election to complete Heftel's unexpired term. However, on the same day Abercrombie lost the Democratic primary for a full two-year term to Mufi Hannemann, who went on to lose 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, Abercrombie once again ran for Congress and won in 1990, and was re-elected 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. Notably, 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.

He served as chairman of the Armed Forces Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces and a senior member on 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 today’s military families.

2010 gubernatorial campaign

On Sunday, March 9, 2009, he announced his intention to run for Governor of Hawaii instead of running for an 11th term. 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 Congresswoman Pat Saiki.

During his campaign, Abercrombie released his "A New Day in Hawaii Plan", offering a roadmap based on Hawai‘i's 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 Hawai‘i.

Abercrombie defeated his challenger, former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann, in the 2010 Democratic gubernatorial primary election on September 18, 2010, 59.3 percent to 37.7 percent.

On November 2, 2010, Neil Abercrombie defeated his Republican opponent Duke Aiona by a margin of 57.8% to 40.8% to become Hawaii's 7th governor. On November 3, 2010, during his victory speech, Governor-elect Abercrombie credited numerous individuals with 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. He succeeded Republican Governor Linda Lingle.

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 Barack Obama's birth certificate. A spokesperson for Abercrombie said he would ask the office of the Attorney General what they can do. State Attorney General David M. Louie informed Abercrombie that state privacy laws prevent the release of "an individual's birth documentation without the person's consent" to persons who do not have "a tangible interest" in the document.

According to polls, in October 2011, Abercrombie was the most unpopular 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 previously 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 was given the task of appointing a replacement. The State Democratic Party gave him a list of three finalists and he chose Lieutenant Governor Brian Schatz, against Inouye's written wish that he select Colleen Hanabusa. Brian Schatz is now the senior U.S. Senator from Hawai‘i.

Abercrombie was appointed by President Barack Obama to the Council of Governors and served a 2012–2014 term. The council consists of 10 governors appointed by the President to focus on matters of 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 President Obama's Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience, a select group of governors, mayors and other leaders who will develop recommendations on how the federal government can better support local preparedness and resilience-building efforts. Hawaii also signed onto 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, Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed into law a bill that legalized marriage for same-sex couples in Hawai‘i. The new law took effect on December 2, 2013. Hawaii was the 15th state in the nation to legalize same-sex marriage.

In a hard-fought primary on August 9, 2014, Abercrombie was defeated by state senator David Ige taking just 31% of the vote to Ige's 67%, making him the first incumbent governor to lose a primary in 2014 and the first ever in Hawaii's history.

Personal life

In 1981, Abercrombie married Nancie Caraway, who is a political scientist and feminist writer at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa's Globalization Research Center.

Abercrombie is an avid weightlifter and has a stated goal of lifting 200 lbs more than his age on each birthday. On his 72nd birthday, he bench pressed 272 lbs.

In 2006 Abercrombie was named "Scot of the Year" by the Caledonian Society of Hawaii.

Abercrombie currently resides in the Manoa Valley area of Honolulu.