Early years
Born in Honolulu, Cayetano was raised by his father in the working-class district of Kalihi. Soon after graduating from Farrington High School in Honolulu, he married Lorraine Gueco, his high school sweetheart. After the birth of his son Brandon in 1959, he worked a variety of menial jobs, such as a metal-packer in a junkyard, truck driver, and apprentice electrician, and finally as a draftsman.
Frustrated by what he felt was racially motivated and politically unfair hiring practices, he and his family moved to Los Angeles in 1963 so that he could pursue his career goal of being a lawyer. Starting at Los Angeles Harbor College, he eventually transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles in 1966. In 1968, he graduated from UCLA with a major in political science and minor in American history. Later, in 1971, he earned his law degree from Loyola Law School.
Political career
Cayetano returned to Hawaii immediately after graduating from law school. In 1972, Governor John A. Burns appointed him to the Hawaii Housing Authority. Then, in 1974, he ran for and won a seat in the State House of Representatives, as a Democrat representing Pearl City. Later, in 1978, he was elected to the State Senate. During his twelve years in the state Legislature, he was appointed chairman of important spending committees.
In 1986, he successfully ran for Lieutenant Governor with John Waihee. Both were re-elected to a second term in 1990. As Lieutenant Governor, he was credited with starting A+, a state-funded after-school care program in the Hawaii public schools.
The Cayetano administration
In 1994, Cayetano successfully ran for governor with Mazie K. Hirono as his running mate, defeating Republican U.S. Representative Patricia Saiki and former Honolulu mayor Frank Fasi. Cayetano fended off a strong challenge from Republican Maui mayor Linda Lingle in the gubernatorial election of 1998, winning the election by a margin of one percentage point. He left office in December 2002, barred by law from seeking a third term, and was succeeded by Lingle, who won the election against Lt. Gov. Hirono.
Throughout his tenure in office, Cayetano had to contend with economic uncertainty and serious fiscal problems. Declining tax revenues led to budget shortfalls that had to be addressed, and the fiscally conservative governor often found himself at odds with his fellow Democrats in the state Legislature as he attempted to implement budget cuts to balance the state budget. Cayetano gets most of the credit, however, for passing large cuts in the state income tax to stimulate the state's economy.
On education, the Cayetano administration built thirteen new schools, and he was able to persuade the teacher's union to extend the school year by seven days. Also under his administration, the University of Hawaii system gained autonomy over internal affairs. On the other hand, labor disputes with UH professors and public school teachers in April 2001 led to simultaneous strikes by both unions that crippled the state's entire educational system for three weeks.
Although his policy decisions may not have made him the most popular governor in Hawaii, most observers credit the governor with having the courage to make tough decisions in difficult times.
Miscellaneous
Cayetano is currently married to the former Vicky Liu, whom he married on May 5, 1997. He has three children from his first marriage: Brandon, Janeen, and Samantha.