BERT T. KOBAYASHI SR. / 1916-2005

Isle lawyer lauded for skill as negotiator

Bert T. Kobayashi Sr., a former attorney general and state Supreme Court associate justice, died Thursday. He was 89.

Bert Kobayashi Sr.: He was a state attorney general and state Supreme Court justice

Kobayashi, born July 8, 1916, was former Gov. John Burns' first attorney general, serving from 1962 to 1969.

Burns called lawyer Kobayashi his administration's "strong right arm." Kobayashi was a skilled negotiator and served as a mediator for Burns in several dock strikes that threatened to cripple the state's economy.

In 1966 he declined several offers by Burns to run with him as his lieutenant governor candidate.

When, in 1969, Burns named Kobayashi to the state Supreme Court, the state Senate showed its respect for the Harvard-trained attorney by confirming his nomination with a standing vote. Burns and other governors used Kobayashi as a mediator in labor disputes even when he was still on the bench.

Kobayashi retired from the court in 1978 but told associates, "I do not intend to vegetate in a meaningless way."

Former Gov. George Ariyoshi, a former law partner of Kobayashi, said Kobayashi treated other partners as if they were part of his family.

"It was almost a father-and-son relationship. He treated others as if they were his own children," Ariyoshi said.

"I also called on him from time to time to help mediate labor disputes," he recalled.

As attorney general, Kobayashi was instrumental in breaking up the state's interlocking directorates, Ariyoshi recalled.

"The big companies had interlocking boards, and a few companies had a lot of control over Hawaii's economy," Ariyoshi said.

"Breaking them up was something that speeded up the increased opportunity for fairness and opportunity," he said.

After retiring from the court, Kobayashi continued to work as a mediator.

Honolulu attorney Jeff Watanabe, who worked with Koba-yashi, called him "an extraordinary person."

"He was an agent of change in Hawaii. As AG he was involved in breaking up monopolies when Hawaii was a young state. He filed some of the first antitrust cases against oil companies," Watanabe said.

"He was my first boss. I owe him a lot and so does the state," he added.

Kobayashi went to McKinley High School, graduating in 1935. He graduated from Gettysburg College and worked his way through Harvard University law school in 1943.

He was in private practice from 1948 to 1962 and served as president of the Bar Association in 1959.

Kobayashi is survived by wife Victoria; sons Bert Jr. and Dr. Lincoln Kalani; daughters Josephine Leilani Chang and Dr. Victoria Punani Kobayashi; nine grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Funeral services are private.