Global InformationThelma Akana Harrison information
Thelma Akana Harrison | |
|---|---|
 Thelma Akana Harrison (then Thelma Akana) in 1936 | |
| Member of the Hawaii Territorial Senate from the Oahu district | |
| In office 1944–1952 | |
| Preceded by | David Y. K. Akana |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 17, 1905 Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Died | July 1, 1972 (aged 66) St. Louis, Missouri |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | David Y. K. Akana, Dutch Harrison |
| Alma mater | University of California, Columbia University |
| Occupation | Public health nurse |
Thelma Alice Kalaokona Moore Akana Harrison (July 17, 1905 – July 1, 1972) was an American public health nurse and politician who served as a Republican Senator for Oahu in the Hawaii Territorial Legislature. She was the first woman to be reelected to the Territorial Senate.
Harrison was a boarding student at St. Andrew's Priory School through twelfth grade, where she swam and played basketball and tennis. She subsequently attended St. Luke's School of Nursing in San Francisco before enrolling in a public health nursing program at the University of California, which ended in December 1926. In 1927, Harrison married David Y. K. Akana.
Harrison worked as a nurse and a public health administrator until Akana's death in 1943, when she took over his position as manager of a funeral home company. In 1944, she publicly explored the idea of campaigning to succeed her husband in the Hawaii Territorial Senate, eventually announcing her candidacy in August of that year. Elected to the Territorial Senate in 1944 and reelected in 1948, Harrison chaired multiple committees and was a supporter of Hawaii statehood. She married professional golfer Dutch Harrison in 1950 and announced in 1951 that she would not seek reelection, later moving to the contiguous United States. She died at age 66 in St. Louis in July 1972.