Former Democratic lawmaker made civil rights his life’s work

As a state representative and a stalwart pillar of the Demo­cratic Party, Ernest "Juggie" Heen Jr. was a tireless worker for civil rights and workers’ rights, tracing his passion to the 1940s, when as a teenager he accompanied his father, Ernest Sr., to his job as city clerk.

One Saturday, rather than work the half-day that the office was open on weekends, his father closed up and went to Love’s Bakery in Iwilei and filled the back of the family’s four-door sedan with day-old bread.

They took the bread to plantation workers on strike in Aiea.

"I remember taking two loaves to a man who was the father of two of my playmates," Juggie Heen recalled in 2009 as part of an "Aiea Oral History Project."

"I looked up, expecting to see a big broad smile, and I saw this expression of utter embarrassment because he had to accept a handout. I’ll never forget that as long as I live.

"Because of this incident, I’m a firm believer in the right to organize as a civil right."

Heen, among nine siblings from one of the most prominent political families in Hawaii, in his final years became a strong advocate for physician-assisted suicide.

He died Sunday night after a lengthy battle with pancreatic and liver cancer, family and friends said. He was 82.

Heen died shortly before midnight at Tripler Army Medical Center for Aging, his older brother, former Circuit and Appeals Court Judge Walter Heen, said Monday.

Juggie Heen had entered the center a few months ago. He was diagnosed with lung cancer about 15 years ago and had been in remission when the cancer returned, affecting his liver and pancreas in the last two to three years, his brother said.

"He had some real good times and some real bad times," Walter Heen said. "We enjoyed a great childhood together, all of the kids."

Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who introduced Heen for a lifetime achievement award from the Demo­cratic Party of Hawaii at last year’s state convention, called Heen a "stalwart champion" of party values.

"He always exhibited strength of character that was complemented by his ability to see through to the core of the issue," Abercrombie said in a statement. "Our state is left better as a result of his influence and legacy."

Heen, who got his nickname from a young cousin who had trouble pronouncing "Junior," served three terms in the state Legislature during the 1960s and in recent years worked as an organizer and mentor for young party members.

"I worked with Mr. Heen to learn the intricacies of the party," said Rep. Justin Woodson (D, Kahu­lui-Wai­luku-Puu­nene), who just completed his first year in the state House. "He would go about introducing me to community members, to prominent party members. He was just always like a coach to me in helping me understand the inner workings of politics here in Hawaii."

Scott Foster, a family friend and also an advocate for physician-assisted suicide, described Heen as one of the great characters of Hawaii politics.

"Just a bigger-than-life gentleman of the old school," Foster said. "He enthralled me with first-person accounts of historical events that most of us just read as old, stale historical notes. The you-are-there-in-the-room perspective explains some of the nuance of what’s made Hawaii what it is today — good, bad or indifferent."

Last year Heen became involved with a campaign for Compassion and Choices, an advocacy group for patients who want to make end-of-life decisions on their own.

The group had lobbied the Legislature to take up the issue of physician-assisted suicide.

Besides his brother Walter, Heen is survived by four sons, a daughter and a sister. Services are pending.

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Correction: Ernest "Juggie" Heen Jr. is survived by his brother, Walter, and a sister. An earlier version of this story said he was survived by two brothers.