Lingle, Linda, 1953-

Linda Lingle (née Cutter; June 4, 1953) is an American politician, who was the sixth governor of Hawaii from 2002 until 2010. She was the first Republican governor of Hawaii since 1962. Lingle was also the state's first female and first Jewish governor. Prior to serving as governor, Lingle served as Maui County mayor, council member, and chair of the Hawaii Republican Party.

A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Lingle moved with her parents to Southern California at the age of 12. She graduated from Birmingham High School in Lake Balboa, California, then received her bachelor's degree in journalism cum laude from California State University, Northridge, in 1975. She followed her father to Hawaii, working first in Honolulu as a public information officer for the Teamsters and Hotel Workers Union. Later, she moved to Molokai, where she started the Molokai Free Press, a community newspaper.

In 1980, Lingle was elected to the Maui County Council, where she served five two-year terms. Thereafter, she was elected mayor of Maui County, becoming the first woman and youngest person elected to the office. Easily re-elected in 1994, she was seen as the best choice Republicans had to win the Governor's office in 1998; Lingle would narrowly lose in the closest election in the state's history. After being defeated, Lingle was elected chair of the Hawaii Republican Party. She served from 1999 to 2002. Criticizing the Democratic Party and emphasizing key differences between her own more moderate views when compared to more conservative platforms which Hawaii Republicans had advocated, Lingle managed to eke out a narrow victory in the 2002 Governor's race against Lieutenant Governor Mazie Hirono. Lingle was easily re-elected in 2006.

In 2012, she was the Republican nominee for the United States Senate, vying unsuccessfully for an open seat vacated by retiring U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka. After her failed Senate bid, Lingle taught a public policy seminar at California State University, Northridge, from which she had graduated in 1975. She also gave lectures and worked with the Governor's Council and Energy Security Council for the Bipartisan Policy Center. In January 2015, Lingle was appointed as a senior adviser to Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner, and left the position in July 2016. She also served on the Governors’ Council of the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, D.C. Lingle moved back to Hawaii in the second quarter of 2017 and became a member of Hawaii Pacific University's board of trustees in June 2017.