HISTORY
“All free government is firmly founded in a deeply felt religious faith.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower
THE FIRST NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST
Soon after his election in 1952, President Dwight D. “Ike” Eisenhower told Billy Graham that the country needed a spiritual renewal. For Eisenhower, faith, patriotism and free enterprise were the fundamentals of a strong nation. But of the three, faith came first.
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However, when Frank Carlson, the senator from Kansas, a devout Baptist and Christian leader, asked his friend and fellow Kansan to attend a prayer breakfast, Eisenhower – in a move that seemed out of character – refused. But Graham interceded, Hilton offered his hotel and the rest is history.
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President Eisenhower began the tradition of the Presidential Prayer Breakfast with the first breakfast in 1953. While Eisenhower was initially wary of attending a prayer breakfast, evangelist Billy Graham convinced him it was the right move.
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Speaking to an audience that included Graham, hotel magnate Conrad Hilton and 400 political, religious and business leaders, Eisenhower proclaimed that “all free government is firmly founded in a deeply felt religious faith.” Initially called the Presidential Prayer Breakfast, the name was changed in 1970 to the National Prayer Breakfast. Every American president since Dwight D. Eisenhower has participated in the annual event.
In 1979, Rev. Richard Halvorson, U.S. Senate Chaplain, journeyed to Hawaii to encourage the start of a Governor’s Prayer Breakfast. With the support of Governor George Ariyoshi and Chief Justice William Richardson, planning began. Our initial co-founders, M. Takushi and J. Dill led this effort as they were humbly used by God to lead and coordinate this event.
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The purpose: to glorify God and bring state leaders together to receive awareness that God is sovereign and in control over the affairs of men. Mayor Frank Fasi was the C&C of Honolulu mayor and had attended a Presidential Prayer Breakfast of the Philippines. Impressed, he contacted the co-founders asking to start a Mayor’s Breakfast. Although the Governor and Mayor were political rivals, the Governor consented and the state of Hawaii Prayer Breakfast was born. While many states started and still hold a Governor’s Breakfast, Hawaii is one of the few that holds a statewide prayer breakfast.
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We are grateful for the prayers and work of our co-founders who believed it is a privilege to come alongside God to do His work and their legacy lives on. The primary purpose was and always will be the command in 1Timothy 2, to pray for our leaders and all those in authority, no matter who they are and whether or not we agree, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives.