Former Governor Neil Abercrombie served as the seventh Governor of Hawaii from 2010 to 2014. From 1975 to 1979 he served in the Hawaii House of Representatives and was subsequently elected to the Hawaii Senate. Abercrombie won a seat in the US House of Representatives in 1986, and afterwards served on the City Council of Honolulu from 1988 to 1990. He returned to Congress and served ten consecutive terms from 1990 to 2010 serving on the Armed Services Committee and the Natural Resources Committee. During his years in Congress, he was especially committed to the protection of the Northwest Hawaiian Islands – Papahanaumokuakea, and he co-authored landmark legislation to build, manage and maintain housing for military families. He is an author and he holds an M.A. in Sociology and his Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Hawaii.