Beatrice Burns

Beatrice Burns
First Lady of Hawaii
In role December 3, 1962 – December 2, 1974
Governor	John A. Burns
Preceded by	Nancy Quinn
Succeeded by	Jean Ariyoshi
Personal details
Born	Beatrice Majors Van Vleet (1906-02-20)February 20, 1906 Sumpter, Oregon, U.S.
Died	February 28, 1988(1988-02-28) (aged 82) Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Spouse	John A. Burns ​ ​ (m. 1931; died 1975)​
Children	4

Beatrice Majors Van Vleet Burns (February 2, 1906 – February 28, 1988) was the First Lady of Hawaii for three terms. Born in Oregon and raised in numerous states, she became a registered nurse, joined the United States Army Nurse Corps, and moved to Hawaii. She met Hawaii's future governor John A. Burns during a picnic at Hanauma Bay, when he was a college student. Together they had four children, one of whom was born premature and died when she was struck by poliomyelitis. She never fully recovered from her paralysis, but lived a full life as a wife and mother. While First Lady of Hawaii, she restored the governor's residence of Washington Place.