Gene Ward

{{Short description|American politician (1943–2025)}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = Gene Ward |image = Rep. Gene Ward.jpg | caption = Ward in 2017 |office = Minority Leader of the Hawaii House of Representatives |term_start = November 9, 2018 |term_end = November 3, 2020 |predecessor = Andria Tupola |successor = Val Okimoto |office1 = Member of the Hawaii House of Representatives |constituency1 = 17th district (2006–2022) 18th district (2022–2025) |term_start1 = November 7, 2006 |term_end1 = March 31, 2025 |predecessor1 = William Stonebreaker |successor1 = Joe Gedeon |constituency2 = 22nd district (1990–1992) 16th district (1992–1998) |term_start2 = November 1990 |term_end2 = November 1998 |predecessor2 = Fred Hirayama |successor2 = Bertha Leong |birth_date = {{Birth date|1943|3|9}} |birth_place = Conneaut, Ohio, U.S. |death_date = {{Death date and age|2025|4|4|1943|3|9}} |death_place = |party = Republican |education = University of Hawaii, Manoa (BA, MA, PhD) |website = {{URL|gene-ward.com|Official website}} }}

'''Gene Rinna Ward''' (March 9, 1943 – April 4, 2025) was an American politician and Republican member of the Hawaii House of Representatives, serving in that body from 1990 to 1998 and 2006 to 2025. He previously served as the Minority Leader from 2018 to 2020. He was a Vietnam veteran and former Peace Corps Country Director in East Timor. He also served with the United Nations in Malawi, Africa and was a presidential appointee to the USAID during the George W. Bush administration.

On March 21, 2025, after nearly 27 years of public service, Ward announced his retirement on March 31 due to health issues.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thomas |first=Kay |date=2025-03-22 |title=State Rep. Gene Ward announces retirement due to health setbacks |url=https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2025/03/22/state-rep-gene-ward-announces-retirement-due-health-setbacks/ |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=www.hawaiinewsnow.com |language=en}}</ref> Until his retirement, he was the longest-serving member of the Hawaii House of Representatives.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=HPR News |date=2025-04-04 |title=Longtime state Rep. Gene Ward of Hawaiʻi Kai dies at 82 |url=https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/local-news/2025-04-04/longtime-state-rep-gene-ward-of-hawaii-kai-dies-at-82 |access-date=2026-04-07 |website=Hawai'i Public Radio |language=en}}</ref>

==Background== Ward was born on March 9, 1943.<ref name="PVS">{{cite web |url= http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/2607 |title= Gene Ward's Biography |publisher= Project Vote Smart |access-date= November 27, 2013}}</ref> He earned his BA, his MA in urban sociology, and his PhD in business sociology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. His dissertation was a comparative study of Hawaiians in business compared to Europeans in business in Hawaii.

Ward died on April 4, 2025, at the age of 82.<ref>{{cite news |title=Gene Ward, Hawaii statesman, dies at 82 |url=https://www.kitv.com/news/local/gene-ward-hawaii-statesman-dies-at-82/article_3af3cfd8-acbf-4825-aff4-3327470fc7e4.html |work=KITV |date=April 4, 2025}}</ref>

==Electoral history== *''1990'': Ward initially won the November 6, 1990, general election. *''1992'': Ward was unopposed for the District 16 September 21, 1992, Republican primary, winning with 1,508 votes,<ref>{{cite web |url= http://hawaii.gov/elections/files/results/1992/primary/histatewide.pdf |title= Primary Election – State of Hawaii – Statewide September 19, 1992 |publisher= Hawaii Office of Elections |location= Honolulu, Hawaii |page= 4 |access-date= November 27, 2013}}</ref> and won the November 3, 1992, general election with 6,562 votes (69.5%) against Democratic nominee Steve Boggs.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://hawaii.gov/elections/files/results/1992/general/histatewide.pdf |title= General Election – State of Hawaii – Statewide November 3, 1992 |publisher= Hawaii Office of Elections |location= Honolulu, Hawaii |page= 2 |access-date= November 27, 2013}}</ref> *''1994'': Ward won the September 17, 1994, Republican primary,<ref>{{cite web |url= http://hawaii.gov/elections/files/results/1994/histatewide.pdf |title= Primary Election – State of Hawaii – Statewide September 17, 1994 |publisher= Hawaii Office of Elections |location= Honolulu, Hawaii |access-date= November 27, 2013}}</ref> and won the November 8, 1994, general election with 7,213 votes (78.7%) against Democratic nominee Mark Auerbach.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://hawaii.gov/elections/files/results/1994/general/histatewide.pdf |title= General Election – State of Hawaii – Statewide November 8, 1994 |publisher= Hawaii Office of Elections |location= Honolulu, Hawaii |access-date= November 27, 2013}}</ref> *''1996'': Ward was unopposed for the September 21, 1996, Republican primary, winning with 3,088 votes,<ref>{{cite web |url= http://hawaii.gov/elections/files/results/1996/primary/histatewide.pdf |title= Primary Election – State of Hawaii – Statewide September 21, 1996 |publisher= Hawaii Office of Elections |location= Honolulu, Hawaii |page= 4|access-date= November 27, 2013}}</ref> and won the November 5, 1996, general election with 6,323 votes (68.3%) against Democratic nominee William Hoshijo.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://hawaii.gov/elections/files/results/1996/general/histatewide.pdf |title= General Election – State of Hawaii – Statewide November 5, 1996 |publisher= Hawaii Office of Elections |location= Honolulu, Hawaii |page= 2 |access-date= November 27, 2013}}</ref> *''1998'': To challenge incumbent Democratic United States Representative Neil Abercrombie for Hawaii's 1st congressional district seat, Ward won the September 21, 1996, Republican primary, winning with 54,844 votes (65.6%) against Quentin Kawānanakoa,<ref>{{cite web |url= https://files.hawaii.gov/elections/files/results/1996/primary/histatewide.pdf |title= Primary Election – State of Hawaii – Statewide September 21, 1996 |publisher= Hawaii Office of Elections |location= Honolulu, Hawaii |page= 1|access-date= November 27, 2013}}</ref> but lost the November 5, 1996, general election to Abercrombie,<ref>{{cite web |url= https://files.hawaii.gov/elections/files/results/1998/general/histatewide.pdf |title= General Election – State of Hawaii – Statewide November 5, 1996 |publisher= Hawaii Office of Elections |location= Honolulu, Hawaii |page= 2 |access-date= November 27, 2013}}</ref> who held the seat until 2010. *''2006'': When Republican Representative William Stonebreaker retired and left the District 17 seat open, Ward was unopposed for the September 26, 2006, Republican primary, winning with 855 votes,<ref>{{cite web |url= https://files.hawaii.gov/elections/files/results/2006/primary/histatewide.pdf |title= Primary Election 2006 – State of Hawaii – Statewide September 26, 2006 |publisher= Hawaii Office of Elections |location= Honolulu, Hawaii |page= 3 |access-date= November 27, 2013}}</ref> and won the November 7, 2006, general election with 5,450 votes (55.1%) against Democratic nominee A.J. Halagao.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://files.hawaii.gov/elections/files/results/2006/general/histatewide.pdf |title= General Election 2006 – State of Hawaii – Statewide November 7, 2006 |publisher= Hawaii Office of Elections |location= Honolulu, Hawaii |page= 2 |access-date= November 27, 2013}}</ref> *''2008'': Ward was unopposed for the September 20, 2008, Republican primary, winning with 2,142 votes,<ref>{{cite web |url= https://files.hawaii.gov/elections/files/results/2008/primary/histatewide.pdf |title= Primary Election 2008 – State of Hawaii – Statewide September 20, 2008 |publisher= Hawaii Office of Elections |location= Honolulu, Hawaii |page= 2 |access-date= November 27, 2013}}</ref> and the November 4, 2008, general election with 6,979 votes (55.3%) against Democratic nominee Amy Monk.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://files.hawaii.gov/elections/files/results/2008/general/histatewide.pdf |title= General Election – State of Hawaii – Statewide November 4, 2008 |publisher= Hawaii Office of Elections |location= Honolulu, Hawaii |page= 1 |access-date= November 27, 2013}}</ref> *''2010'': Ward was unopposed for both the September 18, 2010, Republican primary, winning with 1,741 votes,<ref>{{cite web |url= https://files.hawaii.gov/elections/files/results/2010/primary/histatewide.pdf |title= Primary Election 2010 – State of Hawaii – Statewide September 18, 2010 |publisher= Hawaii Office of Elections |location= Honolulu, Hawaii |page= 3 |access-date= November 27, 2013}}</ref> and the November 2, 2010, general election.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://files.hawaii.gov/elections/files/results/2010/general/histatewide.pdf |title= General Election – State of Hawaii – Statewide November 2, 2010 |publisher= Hawaii Office of Elections |location= Honolulu, Hawaii |page= 2 |access-date= November 27, 2013}}</ref> *''2012'': Ward was unopposed for both the August 11, 2012, Republican primary, winning with 2,039 votes,<ref>{{cite web |url= https://files.hawaii.gov/elections/results/2012/primary/elections/results/2012/primary/files/histatewide.pdf |title= Primary Election 2012 – State of Hawaii – Statewide August 11, 2012 |publisher= Hawaii Office of Elections |location= Honolulu, Hawaii |page= 3 |access-date= November 27, 2013}}</ref> and the November 6, 2012, general election.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://files.hawaii.gov/elections/results/2012/general/elections/results/2012/general/files/histatewide.pdf |title= Hawaii General 2012 – State of Hawaii – Statewide November 6, 2012 |publisher= Hawaii Office of Elections |location= Honolulu, Hawaii |page= 1 |access-date= November 27, 2013}}</ref> *''2014'': Ward and Democrat Chris Stump, neither of whom were opposed in their party's August 9, 2014, primary election,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://files.hawaii.gov/elections/files/results/2014/primary/histatewide.pdf#page=3 |title=Primary Election 2014 – State of Hawaii – Statewide: Final Summary Report |page=3 |website=Hawaii Office of Elections |date=August 9, 2014 |access-date=April 18, 2026}}</ref> faced each other in the November 4, 2014, general election, with Ward winning 7,535 votes (71.6%) to 2,555 (24.3%).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://files.hawaii.gov/elections/files/results/2014/general/histatewide.pdf |title=General Election 2014 – State of Hawaii – Statewide: Final Summary Report |page=1 |website=Hawaii Office of Elections |date=November 4, 2014 |access-date=April 18, 2026}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/memberpage.aspx?member=ward&year=2013 Official page] at the Hawaii State Legislature * {{IMDb name| 9407252}} * [http://gene-ward.com/ Campaign site] * {{CongLinks | congbio= | votesmart=2607 | fec= | congress= }}

{{s-start}} {{s-par|us-hi-hs}} {{s-bef|before=Fred K. Hirayama, Jr.}} {{s-ttl|title=Member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from the 22nd district|years=1991–1993}} {{s-aft|after=Mazie Hirono}} |- {{s-bef|before=Terrance W. H. Tom}} {{s-ttl|title=Member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from the 16th district|years=1993–1999}} {{s-aft|after=Bertha F. K. Leong}} |- {{s-bef|before=William Stonebreaker}} {{s-ttl|title=Member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from the 17th district|years=2007–2023}} {{s-aft|after=Dee Morikawa}} |- {{s-bef|before=Mark Hashem}} {{s-ttl|title=Member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from the 18th district|years=2023–2025}} {{s-aft|after=Joe Gedeon}} |- {{s-bef|before=Lynn Finnegan}} {{s-ttl|title=Minority Leader of the Hawaii House of Representatives|years=2011–2013}} {{s-aft|after=Aaron Ling Johanson}} |- {{s-bef|before=Andria Tupola}} {{s-ttl|title=Minority Leader of the Hawaii House of Representatives|years=2019–2021}} {{s-aft|after=Val Okimoto}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Gene}} Category:1943 births Category:2025 deaths Category:Republican Party members of the Hawaii House of Representatives Category:21st-century members of the Hawaii State Legislature Category:People from Conneaut, Ohio Category:Politicians from Honolulu Category:University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumni