Flora Kaai Hayes

Flora Kaai Hayes
Hayes in 1914.
Member of the Hawaii Territorial House of Representatives from the 4th district
In office 1939–1940
In office 1943–1952
Member of the Hawaii Territorial House of Representatives from the 14th district
In office 1959–1959
Personal details
Born	Flora Allen Kaai (1893-04-17)April 17, 1893 Hana, Hawaiian Kingdom
Died	February 3, 1968(1968-02-03) (aged 74) Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Henry Homer Hayes ​ ​ (m. 1914; died 1957)​ [1]
Children	Homer A. Hayes

Flora Kekulalani Kaai Hayes^[2] (April 17, 1893 – February 3, 1968) was a Hawaiian-American politician and actor. She served in the Hawaii Territorial House of Representatives for seven terms between 1938 and 1959, representing Oahu as a member of the Hawaii Republican Party. From the 1920s through the early 1930s, Hayes became involved in various Hawaiian organizations. In 1936, she was elected president of the Territory of Hawaii's parent–teacher association (PTA), serving two terms. At the request of John Ford, she stopped in Hollywood while traveling back from a PTA conference in Virginia to play a minor role in the 1937 film The Hurricane.

Hayes first secured a seat as a Territorial Representative in the 1938 election. She served seven terms in the Territorial House of Representatives between 1938 and 1959, in addition to campaigning unsuccessfully to succeed Thelma Akana Harrison in the Territorial Senate in 1952. While in the legislature, she focused on legislation related to schools, parks, and playgrounds. She served as a delegate to the Hawaii Constitutional Convention of 1950, where she ensured that certain areas of land were reserved for Native Hawaiians in the drafted state constitution.

After leaving the legislature, Hayes played a role in the 1961 film Blue Hawaii. Beginning around 1963, she volunteered at Bishop Museum, where she worked with Annie Kanahele to translate letters and documents from Hawaiian to English. She was a candidate for the Hawaii Constitutional Convention of 1968, but died at age 74 in 1968, before the election for delegates was held.