George Ryoichi Ariyoshi (Japanese: 有吉 良一, born March 12, 1926) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the third governor of Hawaii from 1974 to 1986.

His lengthy tenure is a record likely to remain unbroken due to term limits enacted after he left office.

Ariyoshi was born in Honolulu, then in the Territory of Hawaiʻi, to Japanese immigrant parents, who named him after George Washington.

As World War II drew to a close, he served as an interpreter with the U.S. Army Military Intelligence Service in Japan.

In her book Washington Place: A First Lady's Story, Jean Ariyoshi credits former police officer Larry Mehau as becoming responsible for her family's safety.

She does not mention why he was given this nickname, but the press did so because he was accused of having ties to the criminal underworld, many claiming that he was the top boss of organized crime in Hawai'i.

He also served on the board of governors at the East-West Center, based in Honolulu, an internationally known education and research organization that was established by U.S. Congress.