About Peter Aduja
Peter Aquino Aduja (19 October 1920 – 19 February 2007) was the first Filipino American elected to public office in the United States. He was elected as a representative in the Hawaii Legislature in 1954. Born in the Philippines, Aduja emigrated to Hawaii in his youth, and then served in the United States Army during World War II. After World War II, he worked as a teacher, before becoming one of the first Filipino lawyers in Hawaii. After two years in elected office, he worked for the Hawaiian Department of Attorney General, and served two years as a judge, until being elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives. Aduja died in Las Vegas in 2007. == Early life == Aduja was born in Ilocos Sur in the Philippines and emigrated with his family at the age of eight to Hilo, Hawaii. He was raised in nearby Hakalau, Hawaii, while his father worked on a sugarcane plantation as a sakada. He attended Hilo High, where he was the student body president and an Eagle Scout, graduating with the class of 1941 as salutatorian. After high school, he went on to the University of Hawaii to major in government and history; while attending university Aduja worked as a timekeeper at Pearl Harbor. In 1944, he joined the United States Army, and along with 50 other individuals volunteered for the 1st Filipino Infantry Regiment.
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