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Hawaii in 1960 Statehood medallion
authorized by the Hawaiian State Legislature and issued
in 1960. In January, the entire town of Kapoho, on the southeastern corrner of the island of Hawaii, was covered by lava flows from Kilauea that created small hills and mountains throughout the area and added more than 1,000 acres to the coastline where the lava poured into the ocean. No lives were lost, but damage was estimated at $4,900,000, principally to growing crops. An eruption of lava from Kilauea threatens the
village of Kapoho, at lower left. A stone and mud dike
was built in an effort to keep the lava "at
bay," to no avail. In February it was announced that a pineapple cannery at Kapaa, on the island of Kauai, would close down in 1962, leaving almost a third of the town's labor force unemployed. The first session of the State Legislature began in February, and by March it was in turmoil. The Republican-controlled Senate refused to confirm two of Governor Quinn's cabinet appointments and both houses failed to support Quinn's efforts to make more state lands available to small purchasers by direct sale. The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives approved a budget that caused splits across party lines and forced the Governor to extend the session. The Legislature itself went beyond the legal extension by stopping the clock for ten days. On May 23 a tsunami resulting from the Chilean earthquakes smashed into the port city of Hilo on the island of Hawaii. Deaths totaled 57 and 235 families were left homeless. More than 120 business establishments were damaged beyond repair and another 150 suffered minor to severe damage. Total losses were estimated at $17,700,000. Governor William F. Quinn surveys ruins left by
the tsunami that struck Hilo. In early June, Governor William F. Quinn called the State Legislature into special session to deal with the Hilo disaster. Twelve laws were enacted to aid rehabilitation, including provisions to exchange state land with disaster victims not permitted to move back into the devastated area because of an urban renewal program approved by the same special session. A disaster commercial loan was established to supplement the Small Business Administration program. In October, U.S. Army engineers proposed construction of a 30-foot-high seawall to protect the Hilo waterfront and the main business thoroughfare fronting Hilo Bay from future tsunamis. Local and state planners, however, favored abandoning the devastated business district and building in its place a botanical garden featuring terraced bunkers. Able to vote in U.S. presidential elections for the first time, Hawaiians reacted enthusiastically to Republican nominee Richard Nixon, who opened his campaign in the state and visited all four main islands in August. The November election proved to be incredibly close. On the basis of the initial vote count, the state's three electoral votes were initially certified for Nixon, but a recount was ordered. On December 28 the results showed that John F. Kennedy had won with a vote of 92,420 to 92,295. Hawaii's one Congressman, Democrat Daniel K. Inouye, was re-elected. Hawaii was slated to gain another congressional seat as a result of reapportionment based on the 1960 census. Congressman Daniel K. Inouye and his wife Margaret
hand their ballots to an election clerk on November 8. Source Britannica Book of the Year Chicago: Encyclopędia Britannica, 1961 See Also In
the Year 1960 |
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