A member of the Democratic Party, Cravalho served as the first Mayor of Maui from 1969 to 1979 and the first Speaker of the Hawaii House of Representatives following statehood.
[3] Born in Paia, Hawaii, Cravalho received his bachelor's degree in education from University of Hawaiʻi, in 1947.
Cravalho had a part in the formation of Maui Economic Opportunity Inc., a private, nonprofit organization chartered in 1965 to help low-income elderly, children and youth, persons with disabilities, immigrants, other disadvantaged people and the general public to help themselves.
Cravalho left office suddenly in 1979, just months after winning re-election for a second term in the 1978 election.
[5] Democrat Hannibal Tavares won a special election in October 1979 to complete the remainder of Cravalho's term.