Burns, John Anthony

Burns, John Anthony

(1909–75) governor; born in Fort Assineboine, Mont. Having moved to Hawaii, he became a Honolulu policeman (1934–45) and served as vice squad captain and espionage bureau chief during World War II. He was Hawaii's last non-voting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, lobbying for statehood in 1956. As Democratic governor of Hawaii (1963–75), he improved services for ordinary citizens and approved a progressive abortion bill.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.