Helene Hale (March 23, 1918 – February 1, 2013) was an American politician from the state of Hawaii. Hale was born Helene Eleanor Hilyer in Minneapolis, Minnesota on March 23, 1918. From 1955 until 1963 she served on the County of Hawaii Board of Supervisors. From 1963 until 1965 she was the County's Chairman and Executive Officer (a forerunner of the mayoral position). In that position, she was the first woman to serve as a mayor in Hawaii. The Merrie Monarch Festival began in 1963 when Helene Hale, then Executive Officer of Hawaii, decided to create an event to increase tourism to the Island of Hawaii. In 2000, at the age of 82, Hale won a seat in the Hawaii House of Representatives as a Democrat. She served six years representing the 4th district in the legislature before retiring in 2006 following a stroke. Hale was multiracial, her grandfather was the first African-American to graduate from the University of Minnesota and her uncle Ralph Bunche was the first African American to win the Nobel Peace Prize. She was pictured on the cover of Ebony in 1963. References External links "Legislature 2006: The House" January 15, 2006 Honolulu Advertiser 1918 births 2013 deaths Democratic Party members of the Hawaii House of Representatives Hawaii County Council members Women state legislators in Hawaii Mayors of Hawaii County African-American state legislators in Hawaii African-American women in politics Politicians from Minneapolis 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women 21st-century African-American women Women mayors of places in Hawaii