Fred Hemmings

Fred Hemmings Jr., born on January 9, 1946, is an American surfer, author, businessman and politician from Hawaii. He attended Punahou School, where he captained the football team, and in the 1960s he won the Makaha International Surfing Championships four times across the junior and senior divisions, the Peruvian International Surfing Championships in 1964, and the world surfing championship at Rincon, Puerto Rico, in 1968. After retiring from competition he created the first major professional surfing events, including the Pipeline Masters in 1971, and with Randy Rarick co-founded the first pro circuit, earning the description father of professional surfing. He later served in the Hawaii House of Representatives and the Hawaii Senate, and was the Republican nominee for governor in 1990.