Colleen Hanabusa
A formidable Hawaiian labor lawyer who shattered political ceilings, becoming the first woman to preside over the state's senate.
Born 1951 (age 75)·American politician·Birthday: May 4·Baby Boomers
Biography
Colleen Hanabusa's path in Hawaii politics was forged in the trenches of labor law and community advocacy. A third-generation Japanese American, she built a reputation as a tenacious attorney representing unions and workers before ever seeking office. That grounded, fighter's mentality defined her political career. In 1998, she entered the Hawaii State Senate, where she would eventually make history by becoming its first female president—a role she used to steer the state through the economic turmoil of the 2008 recession. Her move to the U.S. House of Representatives was marked by the same focus on her constituents' practical needs: military affairs, Native Hawaiian rights, and economic diversification. Her political journey included a high-stakes, unsuccessful primary challenge to a sitting governor from her own party, a testament to her independence. Throughout, Hanabusa remained a sharp, strategic figure, deeply connected to her home state's unique cultural and economic landscape.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Colleen was born in 1951, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Colleen Was Born
The biggest hits of 1951
#1 Movie
Quo Vadis
Best Picture
An American in Paris
#1 TV Show
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Colleen's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1951Born
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1956Started school
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1964Became a teenager
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Could drive
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1969Could vote
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Turned 21
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1981Turned 30
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 40
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 50
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 60
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 70
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 75 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the first woman President of the Hawaii State Senate from 2007 to 2010.
- Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, serving Hawaii's 1st Congressional District across two non-consecutive terms.
- Was a prominent member of the House Armed Services Committee, focusing on Pacific military strategy.
- Successfully advocated for the inclusion of Native Hawaiian self-governance provisions in federal legislation.
Did You Know?
She is a trained labor lawyer and represented the Hawaii Nurses' Association early in her career.
She survived the 2011 shooting in Tucson, Arizona, where her colleague Gabby Giffords was severely wounded.
She ran for Congress in a special election triggered by the resignation of Representative Neil Abercrombie.
She briefly left Congress to run for the U.S. Senate in 2014, narrowly losing in the primary to Brian Schatz.
“You fight for the community that raised you, not for a title.”
