{{Short description|American politician and educator}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}} '''Bertha Bicenta Leinaala Ching Kawakami''' (July 28, 1931 – November 30, 2017)<ref>[http://www.thegardenisland.com/2018/01/03/obituaries/obituaries-for-wednesday-january-3-2018 Bertha Bicenta Leinaala Ching Kawakami-obituary]</ref> was an American politician and educator.
Born in [[Honolulu, Hawaii]], Kawakami received her bachelor's degree in education from [[University of Hawaii at Manoa]] in 1952 and her master's degree from [[New York University]] in 1962. Kawakami was a teacher and a school principal. She lived in [[Hanapepe, Hawaii]]. Kawakami was appointed to the [[Hawaii House of Representatives]] in March 1987 when her husband [[Richard Kawakami]] died while still in office. Kawakami served in the Hawaii Legislature until her retirement in 2006 and was a [[Democratic party (United States)|Democrat]]. Kawakami died in Honolulu, Hawaii.<ref>[http://obits.staradvertiser.com/2018/01/07/bertha-bicenta-leinaala-ching-kawakami/ Bertha Bicenta Leinaala Ching Kawakami-obituary]</ref><ref>[http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/2584/bertha-kawakami Votesmart.org.-Bertha Kawakami]</ref><ref>'Kaua'i legislator last to bow out,' '''Honolulu Advertiser,''' July 6, 2006</ref>
==Notes== {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kawakami, Bertha}} [[Category:1931 births]] [[Category:2017 deaths]] [[Category:Politicians from Honolulu]] [[Category:People from Kauai County, Hawaii]] [[Category:University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumni]] [[Category:New York University alumni]] [[Category:Educators from Hawaii]] [[Category:American women educators]] [[Category:Women state legislators in Hawaii]] [[Category:Democratic Party members of the Hawaii House of Representatives]] [[Category:American women of Chinese descent in politics]] [[Category:People from Hawaii of Chinese descent]] [[Category:Hawaii politicians of Chinese descent]] [[Category:Asian-American and Pacific Islander state legislators in Hawaii]] [[Category:20th-century members of the Hawaii State Legislature]] [[Category:21st-century members of the Hawaii State Legislature]] [[Category:21st-century American women politicians]] [[Category:20th-century American women politicians]] {{Hawaii-politician-stub}}