Gill, Thomas P. (Thomas Ponce), 1922-2009

<p>Thomas Ponce Gill (April 21, 1922 – June 3, 2009) was a Hawaii politician. A member of the Democratic party, he served in the United States Congress from 1963 to 1965 and was the third lieutenant governor of Hawaii from 1966 to 1970. He unsuccessfully ran for governor twice, in 1970 and 1974.</p>

<p>Born in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, Gill attended public schools (Lincoln Elementary and Roosevelt High School). He was a decorated infantryman in the Pacific Theatre during World War II, earning a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.</p>

<p>After the war, he attended law school at Boalt Hall at UC-Berkeley and began practicing law in Hawaii.</p>

GILL, Thomas Ponce, a Representative from Hawaii; born in Honolulu, Hawaii, April 21, 1922; attended the public schools and graduated from the Roosevelt High School in 1940; attended the University of Hawaii in 1940 and 1941; served in the Hawaii Territorial Guard from December 1941 to October 1942; volunteered for service in the Twenty-fourth Infantry Division in November 1942, fought in New Guinea and in the Philippines and was discharged in November 1945; awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart; graduated from the University of California in 1948 and from the University of California Law School in 1951; was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Honolulu the same year; Democratic campaign chairman of Oahu County in 1952 and 1954; chairman of Oahu County Democratic Committee, 1954-1958; delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1960; attorney for the Hawaiian senate in the 1955 regular session; administrative assistant to the speaker of the Hawaiian house of representatives in the 1957 regular and special sessions; member of the Thirtieth Territorial Session from the Fifteenth District; member of the first State legislature and served as majority floor leader, 1959-1962; elected as a Democrat to the Eighty-eighth Congress (January 3, 1963-January 3, 1965); was not a candidate for renomination in 1964 but was an unsuccessful candidate for election as United States Senator; director, Hawaii Office of Economic Opportunity, 1965-1966; Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii, 1966-1970; died on June 3, 2009, in Honolulu, Hawaii.