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    "url_title": "Lily Okamoto",
    "title_sort": "okamotolily",
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    "modified": "2017-04-14T00:55:44",
    "title": "Lily Okamoto",
    "body": "<div class=\"mw-parser-output\">\n <div id=\"databox-PeopleDisplay\">\n  <table class=\"infobox\" width=\"200px;\">\n   <tbody>\n    <tr>\n     <th scope=\"row\" style=\"text-align:left;\">\n      Name\n     </th>\n     <td style=\"text-align:left;\">\n      Lily Miyamoto Okamoto\n     </td>\n    </tr>\n    <tr>\n     <th scope=\"row\" style=\"text-align:left;\">\n      Born\n     </th>\n     <td style=\"text-align:left;\">\n      December 1 1932\n     </td>\n    </tr>\n    <tr>\n     <th scope=\"row\" style=\"text-align:left;\">\n      Died\n     </th>\n     <td style=\"text-align:left;\">\n      April 2 1989\n     </td>\n    </tr>\n    <tr>\n     <th scope=\"row\" style=\"text-align:left;\">\n      Birth Location\n     </th>\n     <td style=\"text-align:left;\">\n      Honolulu, HI\n     </td>\n    </tr>\n    <tr>\n     <th scope=\"row\" style=\"text-align:left;\">\n      Generational Identifier\n     </th>\n     <td style=\"text-align:left;\">\n      <p>\n       <a class=\"encyc notrg\" href=\"/Sansei/\" title=\"Sansei\">\n        Sansei\n       </a>\n      </p>\n     </td>\n    </tr>\n   </tbody>\n  </table>\n </div>\n <div id=\"databox-People\" style=\"display:none;\">\n  <p>\n   FirstName:Lily;\nLastName:Okamoto;\nDisplayName:Lily Miyamoto Okamoto;\nBirthDate:1932-12-01;\nDeathDate:1989-04-02;\nBirthLocation:Honolulu, HI;\nGender:Female;\nEthnicity:JA;\nGenerationIdentifier:Sansei;\nNationality:US;\nExternalResourceLink:;\nPrimaryGeography:Honolulu, HI;\nReligion:;\n  </p>\n </div>\n <p>\n  A Hawai'i-born, politically active\n  <a class=\"encyc notrg\" href=\"/Sansei/\" title=\"Sansei\">\n   Sansei\n  </a>\n  who was the first woman in the Islands to be both a certified public accountant and licensed attorney.\n </p>\n <div aria-labelledby=\"mw-toc-heading\" class=\"toc\" id=\"toc\" role=\"navigation\">\n  <input class=\"toctogglecheckbox\" id=\"toctogglecheckbox\" role=\"button\" style=\"display:none\" type=\"checkbox\"/>\n  <div class=\"toctitle\" dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\n   <h2 id=\"mw-toc-heading\">\n    Contents\n   </h2>\n   <span class=\"toctogglespan\">\n    <label class=\"toctogglelabel\" for=\"toctogglecheckbox\">\n    </label>\n   </span>\n  </div>\n  <ul>\n   <li class=\"toclevel-1 tocsection-1\">\n    <a class=\"\" href=\"#Family_Background_and_Early_Political_Activism\">\n     <span class=\"tocnumber\">\n      1\n     </span>\n     <span class=\"toctext\">\n      Family Background and Early Political Activism\n     </span>\n    </a>\n   </li>\n   <li class=\"toclevel-1 tocsection-2\">\n    <a class=\"\" href=\"#Professional_Career\">\n     <span class=\"tocnumber\">\n      2\n     </span>\n     <span class=\"toctext\">\n      Professional Career\n     </span>\n    </a>\n   </li>\n   <li class=\"toclevel-1 tocsection-3\">\n    <a class=\"\" href=\"#Controversy_and_Achievements\">\n     <span class=\"tocnumber\">\n      3\n     </span>\n     <span class=\"toctext\">\n      Controversy and Achievements\n     </span>\n    </a>\n   </li>\n   <li class=\"toclevel-1 tocsection-4\">\n    <a class=\"\" href=\"#For_More_Information\">\n     <span class=\"tocnumber\">\n      4\n     </span>\n     <span class=\"toctext\">\n      For More Information\n     </span>\n    </a>\n   </li>\n   <li class=\"toclevel-1 tocsection-5\">\n    <a class=\"\" href=\"#Footnotes\">\n     <span class=\"tocnumber\">\n      5\n     </span>\n     <span class=\"toctext\">\n      Footnotes\n     </span>\n    </a>\n   </li>\n  </ul>\n </div>\n <div class=\"section\" id=\"Family_Background_and_Early_Political_Activism\">\n  <h2>\n   <span class=\"mw-headline\" id=\"Family_Background_and_Early_Political_Activism\">\n    Family Background and Early Political Activism\n   </span>\n  </h2>\n  <div class=\"section_content\">\n   <p>\n    Lily Miyamoto was born on December 1, 1932, the eldest of four children of Takaichi and Misayo Miyamoto. Her father was a successful businessman who rose up through the ranks of the plantation hierarchy to eventually purchase Haiku Plantation from his former employer; he subsequently subdivided and sold the land. Takaichi Miyamoto was one of the first\n    <a class=\"encyc notrg\" href=\"/Nisei/\" title=\"Nisei\">\n     Nisei\n    </a>\n    members of Hawai'i's Democratic Party and according to one author, \"his strong principles, independent philosophy, dedication, and active behind-the-scenes role in the party structure aided in building the foundations for social change that would sweep the Islands,\" as part of the\n    <a class=\"encyc notrg\" href=\"/Revolution_of_1954/\" title=\"Revolution of 1954\">\n     Revolution of 1954\n    </a>\n    .\n    <sup class=\"reference\" id=\"cite_ref-ftnt_ref1_1-0\">\n     <a class=\"\" href=\"#cite_note-ftnt_ref1-1\">\n      [1]\n     </a>\n    </sup>\n    He was a member of the unofficial \"kitchen\" cabinet of Honolulu Mayor John H. Wilson and helped to influence city policy.\n    <sup class=\"reference\" id=\"cite_ref-ftnt_ref2_2-0\">\n     <a class=\"\" href=\"#cite_note-ftnt_ref2-2\">\n      [2]\n     </a>\n    </sup>\n    Due to her father's participation in numerous political campaigns, Okamoto was exposed to politics from an early age, shaping her later support for the Democratic Party.\n   </p>\n   <p>\n    When Okamoto was a young girl, her father tried to enroll in her in public school but officials denied her application as she only spoke Japanese. Okamoto thus enrolled in private schools beginning at Island Paradise School where she learned English and later at Hawaiian Mission Academy, and finally at Punahou School. At seventeen, Okamoto entered the University of Hawai'i and became interested in both accounting and law. She would eventually graduate with a B.B.A. in accounting but never forgot about her interest in the law as according to Okamoto she \"had observed that one had the opportunity to take care of himself because he knew his rights. In addition, law provided a variety of interest and is such an important part of our lives.\"\n    <sup class=\"reference\" id=\"cite_ref-ftnt_ref3_3-0\">\n     <a class=\"\" href=\"#cite_note-ftnt_ref3-3\">\n      [3]\n     </a>\n    </sup>\n    Following graduation, Okamoto attended the University of Michigan Law School—one of the first institutions in the nation to admit women—and graduated in 1956 after enrolling in an accelerated program. After attaining her law degree, Okamoto returned to Hawai'i, was admitted to the Hawai'i bar, and was licensed to practice on December 12, 1956. She became the last woman to be admitted to the Hawai'i bar prior to statehood. In 1960, she also became the first Japanese American woman certified as a public accountant in Hawai'i and ultimately was the first woman in the Islands to be both a certified public accountant and licensed attorney.\n   </p>\n  </div>\n </div>\n <div class=\"section\" id=\"Professional_Career\">\n  <h2>\n   <span class=\"mw-headline\" id=\"Professional_Career\">\n    Professional Career\n   </span>\n  </h2>\n  <div class=\"section_content\">\n   <p>\n    As a result of racial and gender barriers in private firms, Okamoto began her career in government service and in 1957 was a law clerk for Hawai'i's Supreme Court. In 1958, she worked as an auditor for the accounting firm of Peat, Marwick, and Mitchell and two years later, she worked with the Legislative Reference Bureau. In 1961, she was a deputy corporation counsel for the City and County of Honolulu and was an attorney for the House of Representatives for the 1961 and 1962 Hawai'i State Legislature.\n   </p>\n   <p>\n    During this time, Okamoto met her future husband Koozo Okamoto who was also a certified public accountant and attorney. They married on January 27, 1962, and while Okamoto was serving as deputy comptroller in the State Department of Accounting and General Services for the State of Hawai'i, she also bore five children. She became the youngest woman to hold a subcabinet position in Governor\n    <a class=\"encyc notrg\" href=\"/John_Burns/\" title=\"John Burns\">\n     John Burns\n    </a>\n    ' administration and with her appointment as deputy director of the Department of Regulatory Activities became the only woman to hold two subcabinet positions.\n   </p>\n  </div>\n </div>\n <div class=\"section\" id=\"Controversy_and_Achievements\">\n  <h2>\n   <span class=\"mw-headline\" id=\"Controversy_and_Achievements\">\n    Controversy and Achievements\n   </span>\n  </h2>\n  <div class=\"section_content\">\n   <p>\n    During the 1970s, Okamoto became embroiled in controversy, the first involving her work as a council auditor as she had investigated all city and county departments' auditing procedures. During her investigation, Okamoto discovered irregularities in standard auditing procedures at the Honolulu International Center's box office. In an internal confidential memorandum, Okamoto criticized the lack of strict accounting procedures. She suggested that all box office proceeds go directly to the city treasury where they would be subject to the internal controls of the city. After Senator Walter Heen released this memo to the media, box office manager Elroy Runnels sued Okamoto alleging libel and slander after the report disclosed that $65,000 was missing from the box office.\n    <sup class=\"reference\" id=\"cite_ref-ftnt_ref4_4-0\">\n     <a class=\"\" href=\"#cite_note-ftnt_ref4-4\">\n      [4]\n     </a>\n    </sup>\n    However, the state Supreme Court affirmed a lower court’s decision that Okamoto was simply doing her job as a council auditor.\n   </p>\n   <p>\n    In 1978, Okamoto returned to become a trustee of the Hawai'i Employees Retirement System, a position that she had left to become the first female director of the First Federal Savings and Loan Association. However, the Hawai'i State Ethics commission soon started to investigate Okamoto following complaints that she had solicited institutions and individuals with whom the Hawai'i Employees Retirement system had business dealings with to purchase campaign fund raising tickets for\n    <a class=\"encyc notrg\" href=\"/George_Ariyoshi/\" title=\"George Ariyoshi\">\n     George Ariyoshi\n    </a>\n    's gubernatorial candidacy and other democratic candidates. Okamoto did not deny these charges, explaining that, \"I'm not ashamed to say that I have sold tickets like so many other people in this town\" and alleged that other trustees who she had disagreements with had initiated the investigation.\n    <sup class=\"reference\" id=\"cite_ref-ftnt_ref5_5-0\">\n     <a class=\"\" href=\"#cite_note-ftnt_ref5-5\">\n      [5]\n     </a>\n    </sup>\n    Ultimately, the commission imposed the maximum penalty on Okamoto who continued her political and community activism undaunted by these charges. She later made unsuccessful bids for a seat on the Honolulu Council.\n   </p>\n   <p>\n    In her later years, Okamoto obtained professional licenses in a number of fields. In addition to working as a lobbyist for the trustee of the bankrupt THC Financial Corporation, she was licensed as a life insurance agent, real-estate broker, property and casualty insurance agent, and stockbroker. She owned her own real-estate company, Lee, Okamoto, and Associates, Inc., as well as her own insurance company, Lily M. Okamoto, Inc. Okamoto passed away at the age of fifty-seven due to a massive coronary. Her life was aptly summed up by Thelma Chun Hoon Zen, a director at Queen's Medical Center who stated: \"Lily Okamoto's life story is the community and involvement in its political process. Her father, T. Miyamoto, is remembered for his active nurturing of grass roots political participation in the 1940s and 1950s. She, fortunately, has inherited these qualities and lives them daily.\"\n    <sup class=\"reference\" id=\"cite_ref-ftnt_ref6_6-0\">\n     <a class=\"\" href=\"#cite_note-ftnt_ref6-6\">\n      [6]\n     </a>\n    </sup>\n    As a career woman, Okamoto broke many barriers in the workplace and was committed to living to her fullest potential.\n   </p>\n   <div id=\"authorByline\">\n    <b>\n     Authored by\n     <a class=\"encyc notrg\" href=\"/Kelli_Y._Nakamura/\" title=\"Kelli Y. Nakamura\">\n      Kelli Y. Nakamura\n     </a>\n     , University of Hawai'i\n    </b>\n   </div>\n   <div id=\"citationAuthor\" style=\"display:none;\">\n    Nakamura, Kelli\n   </div>\n  </div>\n </div>\n <div class=\"section\" id=\"For_More_Information\">\n  <h2>\n   <span class=\"mw-headline\" id=\"For_More_Information\">\n    For More Information\n   </span>\n  </h2>\n  <div class=\"section_content\">\n   <p>\n    Matsuda, Mari J., ed.\n    <i>\n     Called from Within: Early Women Lawyers of Hawai'i\n    </i>\n    . Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1992.\n   </p>\n  </div>\n </div>\n <div class=\"section\" id=\"Footnotes\">\n  <h2>\n   <span class=\"mw-headline\" id=\"Footnotes\">\n    Footnotes\n   </span>\n  </h2>\n  <div class=\"section_content\">\n   <div class=\"reflist\" style=\"list-style-type: decimal;\">\n    <div class=\"mw-references-wrap\">\n     <ol class=\"references\">\n      <li id=\"cite_note-ftnt_ref1-1\">\n       <span class=\"mw-cite-backlink\">\n        <a class=\"\" href=\"#cite_ref-ftnt_ref1_1-0\">\n         ↑\n        </a>\n       </span>\n       <span class=\"reference-text\">\n        Mari J. Matsuda,\n        <i>\n         Called from Within: Early Women Lawyers of Hawai'i\n        </i>\n        (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1992), 311.\n       </span>\n      </li>\n      <li id=\"cite_note-ftnt_ref2-2\">\n       <span class=\"mw-cite-backlink\">\n        <a class=\"\" href=\"#cite_ref-ftnt_ref2_2-0\">\n         ↑\n        </a>\n       </span>\n       <span class=\"reference-text\">\n        \"Takaichi Miyamoto,\"\n        <i>\n         Honolulu Star-Bulletin\n        </i>\n        , Mar. 10, 1981, A-18.\n       </span>\n      </li>\n      <li id=\"cite_note-ftnt_ref3-3\">\n       <span class=\"mw-cite-backlink\">\n        <a class=\"\" href=\"#cite_ref-ftnt_ref3_3-0\">\n         ↑\n        </a>\n       </span>\n       <span class=\"reference-text\">\n        \"Sansei Working Woman: Lily Okamoto,\"\n        <i>\n         Hawai'i Herald\n        </i>\n        , Mar. 2, 1973, 4.\n       </span>\n      </li>\n      <li id=\"cite_note-ftnt_ref4-4\">\n       <span class=\"mw-cite-backlink\">\n        <a class=\"\" href=\"#cite_ref-ftnt_ref4_4-0\">\n         ↑\n        </a>\n       </span>\n       <span class=\"reference-text\">\n        \"Okamoto, Mrs. Lily M. (Deputy State Comptroller) 2,\" University of Hawai'i at Mānoa Hamilton Library, Microfiche 98050, Part 2.\n       </span>\n      </li>\n      <li id=\"cite_note-ftnt_ref5-5\">\n       <span class=\"mw-cite-backlink\">\n        <a class=\"\" href=\"#cite_ref-ftnt_ref5_5-0\">\n         ↑\n        </a>\n       </span>\n       <span class=\"reference-text\">\n        \"Okamoto, Mrs. Lily M. (Deputy State Comptroller) 2,\" University of Hawai'i at Mānoa Hamilton Library, Microfiche 98050, Part 7.\n       </span>\n      </li>\n      <li id=\"cite_note-ftnt_ref6-6\">\n       <span class=\"mw-cite-backlink\">\n        <a class=\"\" href=\"#cite_ref-ftnt_ref6_6-0\">\n         ↑\n        </a>\n       </span>\n       <span class=\"reference-text\">\n        Matsuda,\n        <i>\n         Called from Within\n        </i>\n        , 321.\n       </span>\n      </li>\n     </ol>\n    </div>\n   </div>\n   <!-- \nNewPP limit report\nCached time: 20230613175503\nCache expiry: 86400\nDynamic content: false\nComplications: []\nCPU time usage: 0.017 seconds\nReal time usage: 0.023 seconds\nPreprocessor visited node count: 229/1000000\nPost‐expand include size: 2126/2097152 bytes\nTemplate argument size: 312/2097152 bytes\nHighest expansion depth: 6/40\nExpensive parser function count: 0/100\nUnstrip recursion depth: 0/20\nUnstrip post‐expand size: 2193/5000000 bytes\nExtLoops count: 0\n-->\n   <!--\nTransclusion expansion time report (%,ms,calls,template)\n100.00%   16.802      1 -total\n 40.77%    6.850      1 Template:Databox-People\n 17.90%    3.007      1 Template:Reflist\n  8.18%    1.374      1 Template:AuthorByline\n  8.01%    1.346      1 Template:Published\n-->\n   <!-- Saved in parser cache with key encycmw:pcache:idhash:3795-0!canonical and timestamp 20230613175503 and revision id 24784\n -->\n  </div>\n </div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"toplink\">\n <a href=\"#top\">\n  <i class=\"icon-chevron-up\">\n  </i>\n  Top\n </a>\n</div>",
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