Dignitaries and public honor late former Hawaii Gov. George Ariyoshi

Sep 19, 2026

Hawaii held a state farewell for former Gov. George Ariyoshi, who died at age 100, with a lying-in-state at the State Capitol that drew past governors, current leaders and the public.

  • Ariyoshi's casket arrived at the Capitol Friday morning, the building where he spent decades as a legislator, lieutenant governor and then governor.
  • Governors who followed him and other current leaders remembered him as quiet and effective, a planner for future generations who shaped Hawaii's Democratic Party alongside Burns, Inouye, Patsy Mink and Matsunaga.
  • Waiahole farmers credited him with saving their valley from a housing development in 1977, when the state bought hundreds of acres to keep it in farming.
  • Former Gov. John Waihee, his lieutenant governor and successor, recalled Ariyoshi's message that what works on the mainland may not work in Hawaii.
  • Family remembered him as a devoted father who cared most about being remembered as one.

Outlook: Ariyoshi lies in state at the Capitol rotunda until noon Saturday, after which his casket moves to Kawaiahao Church for a celebration of life.

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