Elmer Cravalho, Maui's first mayor, dies

MAUI (HawaiiNewsNow) - Elmer Cravalho, the first mayor of Maui who also served as speaker of the Hawaii House of Representatives in the 1950s and 60s, has died. He was 90.

"This is a big loss for Maui," Maui County spokesman Rod Antone told Hawaii News Now.

Cravalho died Monday afternoon in hospice care, the Maui News reported.

Cravalho, a prominent figure in the Democratic Party, served as Maui County chairman and mayor for 12 years. He was also speaker of the Hawaii House of Representatives from 1958 to 1967.

"Maui would not look the same if it weren't for Elmer Cravalho," Antone said.

Cravalho was born in Paia, Maui, and became a schoolteacher in 1947. He was elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives in 1954 and served until 1967, when he became chairman of Maui County. Cravalho went on to be elected the first mayor of Maui in 1969, and served for a decade.

Cravalho was also a businessman, and served on a number of nonprofit boards.

Elmer Cravalho, Maui's first mayor, dies

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