Letter Requesting a Presidential Message to the People of Hawaii on Statehood (1954)

Date: September 20, 1954

Created By: Samuel P. King

Original or Replica: Original

Era: Alaska & Hawaii Statehood, The Presidency

Collection: Eisenhower Presidential Library

Citations: DDE’s Records as President, Official File, Box 631, OF-147-E Hawaii (2); NAID #16610955

This document is a letter written by Samuel P. King, Hawaii’s Republican National Committeeman, to Leonard W. Hall, Chairman of the Republican National Committee, on September 20, 1954. In the letter, King requests that President Dwight D. Eisenhower issue a public message to the people of Hawaii in support of the territory during the 1954 election campaign and reaffirm his commitment to Hawaiian statehood.

King explains that many Hawaiians had become discouraged following setbacks in the movement for statehood and believed that leaders in Washington no longer considered the issue a priority. He argues that a personal statement from President Eisenhower acknowledging Hawaii’s lack of voting representation in Congress, affirming that the territory should be treated fairly, and encouraging Hawaiians to support the President’s program would strengthen public confidence and provide an important boost to the Republican campaign. King also recommends that such a message be released approximately one week before the general election to maximize its impact.

During the 1950s, the question of Hawaiian statehood was a major national political issue. Although President Eisenhower consistently expressed support for admitting Hawaii to the Union, congressional debates over whether Hawaii and Alaska should be admitted together or separately delayed statehood for several years.