Edward H. Nakamura (October 9, 1922 – September 12, 1997) was a labor lawyer and judge. He served as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Hawaii from March 24, 1980 to December 28, 1989.
Biography[]
Nakamura was born on October 9, 1922 in Honolulu. He studied at the University of Hawaii, and was a member of the ROTC. When Pearl Harbor was attacked, he became a member of the Hawaii Territorial Guard, then the Varsity Victory Volunteers and the 442nd Regimental Combat team.[1] When the war was over he used his GI Bill to get a degree from the University of Chicago Law School. He graduated in 1951. Nakamura then joined Bouslog & Symonds, a labor law firm in Hawaii. He is best known for working with the ILWU during the McCarthy era, which put him under suspicion as a potential communist.[2]
Nakamura also served as a regent at the University of Hawaii.[2]
Nakamura was elected to the Supreme Court of Hawaii in 1980. He retired in 1989 after a career of criticizing abuses of power. Even in retirement, Nakamura would speak up about corruption and cronyism in local politics.[3]
Nakamura died during open heart surgery in Honolulu on September 12, 1997.[3]
Further reading[]
- Coffman, Tom. (2012). I Respectfully Dissent : a Biography of Edward H. Nakamura. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 9780824865740. OCLC 809317799. https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/809317799.
References[]
- ↑ Odo, Franklin. (2004). No sword to bury : Japanese Americans in Hawai'i during World War II. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. ISBN 9781592138036. OCLC 621403604. https://archive.org/details/noswordtoburyjap00odof_0.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Blair, Chad (2012-07-06). "Dissent, Patriotism and Ed Nakamura" (in en). https://www.civilbeat.org/2012/07/16273-dissent-patriotism-and-ed-nakamura/.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Yuen, Mike (September 12, 1997). "Ex-Justice Nakamura dies". http://archives.starbulletin.com/97/09/12/news/story3.html.
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