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Vicky Cayetano
First Lady of Hawaii
In role
May 5, 1997 – December 2, 2002
GovernorBen Cayetano
Preceded byLynne Waihee
Succeeded byNancie Caraway (2010)
Personal details
Born
Vicky Tiu

1955 or 1956 (age 67–68)
Manila, Philippines
Political partyRepublican (Before 1997)
Democratic (1997–present)
Spouse
​
(m. 1997)​
Children5, including 3 stepchildren

Vicky Tiu Cayetano (born 1955 or 1956)[1] is an American businesswoman and politician who was the first lady of Hawaii from 1997 to 2002. She and Governor Ben Cayetano were married on May 5, 1997, in Washington Place. During her tenure, she was instrumental in the construction of a new governor's residence building and turning Washington Place into a museum. She was a Democratic candidate in the 2022 Hawaii gubernatorial election.[2]

Early life[edit]

Vicky Tiu was born in Manila, Philippines, one of nine musically talented children of Pat and William Tiu. She and her brother and sisters appeared in movies, including It Happened at the World's Fair. Sisters Ginny and Elizabeth, and their brother Alexander, were in Girls! Girls! Girls! with Elvis. After the family moved to San Francisco, Vicky and a group of her friends started a travel agency when she was a teenager. She later attended Stanford University in California, but did not graduate.

Career[edit]

In 1988, she helped to start United Laundry Company to service hotels and hospitals, eventually becoming president and CEO.

First lady[edit]

After marrying Ben Cayetano, she continued to operate the laundry company, but spent less time on it. Her daily schedule was distributed to her employees and she was available if needed. The evening hours were devoted to her family, giving individual time to her teenage children.[3]

In 1999, she participated in the Honolulu Habitat for Humanity's Women Build.[4] She was named 1999 Woman of Distinction by Hawaii's Girl Scouts for her work in motivating young women.[5]

In 2001, she proposed turning Washington Place into a museum telling the story of Lili‘uokalani.[6] Toward that end, she created the Washington Place Foundation to raise funds to build a new residence for the state's governor.[7] The new residence, constructed directly behind Washington Place, was finished in time for the new governor Linda Lingle.[8]

Recent career[edit]

After her tenure as first lady, Cayetano continued to oversee United Laundry Services. She was named Sales Person of the Year for 2011 by Sales & Marketing Executives International, Honolulu Chapter.[9]

In 2018, the 30th anniversary of United Laundry Services, Cayetano was honored with the Pacific Business News "Women Who Mean Business" Career Achievement Award.[10] The following year, the University of Hawaii's School of Travel Industry Management presented Cayetano with the 2019 Legacy in Tourism Award.[11]

Cayetano also volunteers on the board of directors for the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra.[11]

On August 30, 2021, Cayetano announced her candidacy for the 2022 Hawaii gubernatorial election to succeed term-limited governor David Ige.[1] On August 13, 2022, Cayetano lost the primary to Josh Green, 63%-21%.

Personal life[edit]

Cayetano first married a financial consultant in California and had two children. The family later moved to Hawaii. She divorced her first husband in 1992.[12][13]

Ben Cayetano was the sitting governor of Hawaii, with three grown children with his first wife, Lorraine Cayetano. They were separated for five years, then divorced in 1996 after 37 years of marriage.[13] Cayetano and Tiu met while both were working out at the Honolulu Club fitness center.[13] They were married one-and-a-half years later in the governor's official residence on May 5, 1997.[14][13]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Blair, Chad (30 Aug 2021). "Vicky Cayetano Offers A 'Humble Spirit' In Run For Hawaii Governor". Civil Beat. Retrieved 7 Sep 2021.
  2. ^ Dym, Zoe (30 Aug 2021). "Former First Lady Vicky Cayetano Announces Run for Governor". Hawaii Public Radio. Retrieved 7 Sep 2021.
  3. ^ "Vicky Cayetano". The Honolulu Advertiser. May 3, 1998. p. F1. Retrieved December 4, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
    - "Vicky Cayetano: A year in the limelight". The Honolulu Advertiser. May 3, 1998. p. F10. Retrieved December 4, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Blakeman, Karen (September 26, 1999). "Vicky Cayetano's plank helps housing". The Honolulu Advertiser. p. A19. Retrieved December 4, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Girl Scouts name Vicky Cayetano role model for 1999". The Honolulu Advertiser. December 19, 1999. p. A29. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  6. ^ Leidermann, Mike (August 11, 2002). "Washington Place museum to focus on Lili'uokalani". The Honolulu Advertiser. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  7. ^ Leidermann, Mike (January 5, 2001). "Washington Place plan would make it a museum". The Honolulu Advertiser. p. A1. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
    - Leidermann, Mike (January 5, 2001). "Washington: first lady's plan would build a new home". The Honolulu Advertiser. p. A6. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  8. ^ Leidermann, Mike (August 11, 2002). "Moving out of Washington Place". The Honolulu Advertiser. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
    - "Inside the governor's residence". The Honolulu Advertiser. August 11, 2002. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  9. ^ "Vicky Cayetano, Sales Person of the Year - Hawaii Reporter". Hawaii Reporter. February 29, 2012. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  10. ^ Mai, HJ (January 5, 2018). "Pacific Business News names 2018 Women Who Mean Business Career Achievement honoree". Pacific Business News. American City Business Journals. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  11. ^ a b "Vicky Cayetano President & CEO, United Laundry Services". School of Travel Industry Management. University of Hawaii School of Travel Industry Management. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  12. ^ Kresnak, William (May 6, 1997). "Wedding: first lady plans to deal with role 'one day at a time'". The Honolulu Advertiser. p. A5. Retrieved December 4, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
    - Creamer, Beverly (May 11, 1997). "First lady: new Mrs. Cayetano likes to talk business". The Honolulu Advertiser. p. A2. Retrieved December 4, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ a b c d Yuen, Mike (May 6, 1997). "Cayetano, bride met during workout". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Archived from the original on April 30, 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  14. ^ Kresnak, William (May 6, 1997). "Hawaii gets a first lady". The Honolulu Advertiser. p. A1. Retrieved December 4, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicky_Cayetano