Patricia F. Saiki Papers
About Pat Saiki (1930- )
Patricia “Pat” Fukuda was born a third generation Japanese American in Hilo, Hawaiʻi on May 28, 1930 and graduated from Hilo High School in 1948. She earned a B.S. degree from the University of Hawaiʻi in 1952, working her way through college as a flight attendant, babysitter, and sales clerk. She was a teacher in Honolulu from 1956 to 1968 at Punahou School, Kaimuki Intermediate School and Kalani High School. She married Stanley M. Saiki, a physician, and they had five children—Stanley, Jr., Sandra, Margaret, Stuart and Laura.
Beginning in the 1960s, Saiki held several offices in the Hawaiʻi Republican Party and was a member of the Hawaiʻi State Legislature in both the House (1968-1974) and the Senate (1974-1983). In 1972 she spearheaded Hawaiʻi’s Equal Rights Amendment and the state’s first-place ratification of the federal ERA. She also helped organize the Hawaiʻi Government Workers Association.
Saiki served in the U.S. House of Representatives (1987-1990), the only Republican from Hawaiʻi to serve in the House and only the second woman to represent the state in Congress. After an unsuccessful campaign for the U.S. Senate, Pres. George H. W. Bush appointed her as Administrator of the Small Business Administration (1991-1993).
Saiki was dedicated to improving public education in the state and the nation. She was chair of the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education (1978-1980) and was a national board member of Funding and Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (1982-1984).
After leaving public office, Saiki remained active in local and national Republican Party politics. She was, and is, a member of or on the board of numerous community service organizations. She has been a member of the East-West Center Board of Governors since 2003.
About the Patricia F. Saiki Papers
The collection consists of papers from Saiki’s years in the U.S. House (1987-1990) and with the U.S. Small Business Administration (1991-1993). The papers were processed in 2008 and are open for researchers. Please consult the Finding Aid for series descriptions and topics covered in the collection.