A hui hou, Representative Clift Tsuji
The University of Hawai‘i ‘ohana bids a warm aloha to Clift Tsuji, Hawai‘i Island State Representative and an alumnus of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
Born and raised in Papaikou, Tsuji was a graduate of Hilo High School and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from UH Mānoa’s Colleges of Arts and Sciences. He also attended the University of Washington, Pacific Coast Banking School.
Tsuji served in the U.S. Army Reserve, 442nd Infantry, Company B, Hilo, from 1959–1965.
Representing House District 2 including Keaukaha, parts of Hilo, Pana‘ewa and Waiākea, Tsuji was chairman of the House Agriculture Committee and was named the Hawaii Farm Bureau’s Legislator of the Year in 2015. He was a passionate proponent of agriculture and biotechnology.
He was also active with the Hilo Medical Center Foundation, Hawaii Island Japanese Community Association, Pacific Tsunami Museum, Hiroshima Kenjin Kai, Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce, and the Kumamoto Kenjin Kai.
Tsuji is remembered as a humble yet hardworking legislator and advocate for the people of Hawai‘i Island.