About

BENJAMIN J. CAYETANO was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. He received a bachelor’s degree in political science from UCLA in 1968 and a law degree from Loyola Law School in 1971. In 1998 he received an honorary Doctor of Public Service from Loyola Marymount University. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of the Philippines. He served for more than two decades in public office, winning eight elections. He served in the Hawaii House of Representatives from 1975 to 1978, in the Hawaii State Senate from 1979 to 1986, and as lieutenant governor from 1986 to 1994. He is a recipient of the 1993 UCLA Alumni Association Award for Excellence and the 1993 Award of Merit from the University of Hawaii College of Education. In 1995 he received the UCLA Medal, the university’s highest honor, for his “remarkable record of public service”; the Distinguished Leadership Award from UCLA’s John E. Anderson Graduate School of Management; and the Hawaii Chapter of the American Society of Public Administration’s Award for Ethics in Government. In 1996 he earned an award for leadership and contributions to American government and intercultural relations from the Harvard University’s Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations. He was awarded the Distinguished Citizens Award from the Aloha Council of the Boy Scouts of America in 1997 and the UCLA Edward A. Dickson Alumnus of the Year Award for lifetime achievement in 1998. He is a past chairman of the Western Governors’ Association.