Dee Duponte

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Dee Duponte
Hawaii Territorial Senate
In office
1955–1957
Personal details
Born
Adelia Ashby

c. 1908–1909
Augusta, Indiana, U.S.
Died(1971-04-22)April 22, 1971
Maluhia Hospital, Hawaii, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
​
(div. 1958)​

Adelia Ashby "Dee" Duponte (born Adelia Ashby; c. 1908/1909 – April 22, 1971)

hospitalized
until her death in 1971.

Born in

County Attorney as a Democrat, and additionally led to an upset election the same year in which the Republicans
were widely defeated. In 1950, Duponte was elected to the House of Representatives in the Hawaii Territorial Legislature after beginning her campaign late in the election season. As of 1951, she was the only woman Democrat in the Territorial Legislature. Her political views made her a controversial figure in the Territorial House.

In 1954, Duponte was elected to the Hawaii Territorial Senate. The same year, Duponte moved from Maui to Honolulu, separating from her husband after he had an

hospitalized for over a decade before her eventual death, experiencing partial paralysis
. She died in April 1971, at the age of 61 or 63.

Early life and career

Duponte was born Adelia Ashby in Augusta, Indiana.[1] She moved to the Territory of Hawaii from Kentucky.[2] In 1937 or 1931, she married Harold Duponte.[3]

After moving to Hawaii, Duponte held a supervisory job at the

County Attorney as a Democrat. The company denied her assertions, but they rapidly made her famous on Maui, and additionally led to public resentment of perceived "boss rule" which in turn caused an upset election the same year in which the Republicans were routed.[2]

In politics

After being fired from the Maui Pineapple Company, Duponte went on to run the headquarters of the Democratic Party of Hawaii in

executive committee and chairing the platform and education committees.[2]

Dee Duponte on Maui in 1951
Duponte (center) in 1951 on Maui. Oscar L. Chapman is on her right.

In 1950, Duponte began a campaign to enter the House of Representatives in the Hawaii Territorial Legislature; the campaign started late in the election season and concluded with Duponte's election by a large margin[2] to represent Maui. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin described Duponte in 1951 as a political "newcomer". In 1951, she was the only woman Democrat in the Territorial Legislature,[4] and was chairperson of Maui's Democratic County Committee.[5] While in the Territorial House of Representatives, Duponte became a controversial figure as a result of her opinions about who should be appointed to legislative committees as well as her criticism of conditions at Kalaupapa Settlement. She gained the political support of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.[2] Duponte served two terms in the Territorial House.[1] She attended the 1952 Democratic National Convention as the National Committeewoman representing Hawaii.[6]

In 1954, Duponte was elected to the Hawaii Territorial Senate. Her political views remained controversial and sometimes led her Democratic colleagues to openly disavow her.

extramarital affair with another woman.[3]

In 1957, Duponte was working as director of employee training for

Hawaiian Pineapple Company in addition to her position in the Territorial Senate. 600 women employees staged a one-day walkout, reportedly in response to difficulties caused by her. The Star-Bulletin reported that Duponte responded to a report of the walkout by saying "Fiddlesticks!"[2]

Duponte's term in the Hawaii Territorial Senate ended in 1957. The following year, she and Harold Duponte were divorced on the advice of a

Catholic priest; the couple had been married for 21 years. Testimony in a legal case after Duponte's death regarding her will and testament suggested that the couple had been arguing and had marital issues, but intended to remarry each other within the Catholic Church.[3]

Later life and death

On November 20, 1958,

Queen's Hospital.[8]

After the suicide attempt, Duponte was

Jello, asking for ice cream instead. According to Duponte's doctor at the time, her cognition was not damaged by the gunshot wound in her brain, but she was largely paralyzed and could only move one arm slightly.[9]

In September 1959 the Star-Bulletin reported that Duponte had been transferred from Queen's Hospital to

enforced amnesia, and that she had been told that she had experienced a stroke.[7] She would be confined in the hospital for more than 12 years.[1]

Duponte died of a

Funeral Mass was held for her at St Anthony's Church in Wailuku,[10] and her body was buried in a family plot at Kuau Cemetery.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Rites on Maui for Dee Duponte". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. April 24, 1971. p. 16. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Many Controversies Around Mrs. Duponte". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. November 20, 1958. p. 1. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Toner, Tim; Hunter, Gene (November 16, 1972). "jury is expected to get Duponte case today". The Honolulu Advertiser. p. 38. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  4. ^ Wilder, Betty (March 1, 1951). "Five Women in 1951 Legislature Help to Draft Hawaii's Laws". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. p. 13. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  5. Truman Presidential Library. Archived
    from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  6. Evansville Courier and Press
    . July 27, 1952. p. 7. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c "Dee Duponte Improves At Maluhia Hospital". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. September 11, 1959. p. 16. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  8. ^ "Ex-Senator Dee Duponte Shoots Self, Condition Is Reported as 'Critical'; Fired Bullet Into Temple". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. November 20, 1958. p. 1. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  9. ^ "Dee Duponte Comes Out of Coma, Recognizes and Speaks to Doctor". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. January 22, 1959. p. 21. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c "Duponte Mass today on Maui". The Honolulu Advertiser. April 24, 1971. p. 30. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
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