- Daniel Akaka
-
Daniel Kahikina Akaka 
United States Senator
from HawaiiIncumbent Assumed office
May 16, 1990
Serving with Daniel InouyePreceded by Spark Matsunaga Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Incumbent Assumed office
January 3, 2011Preceded by Byron Dorgan Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs In office
January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2011Preceded by Larry Craig Succeeded by Patty Murray Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Hawaii's 2nd districtIn office
January 3, 1977 – May 15, 1990Preceded by Patsy Mink[1] Succeeded by Patsy Mink Personal details Born September 11, 1924
Honolulu, HawaiiNationality American Spouse(s) Mary Mildred Chong Residence Honolulu, Hawaii Alma mater University of Hawaii at Manoa (B.Ed., M.Ed.) Profession Educator (Teacher) Religion United Church of Christ Signature 
Website Senator Daniel K. Akaka Military service Service/branch United States Army Years of service 1943-1947 Unit Corps of Engineers Battles/wars World War II Daniel Kahikina Akaka (pronounced /əˈkɑːkə/;[2] born September 11, 1924) is the junior U.S. Senator from Hawaii and a member of the Democratic Party. He is the first U.S. Senator of Native Hawaiian ancestry and is currently the only member of the Senate who has Chinese ancestry.[3]
Born in Honolulu, he served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during World War II. He attended the University of Hawaii, where he received his bachelor's and master's degrees. Originally a high school teacher, he went on to serve as a principal for six years. In 1969, he was hired by the Department of Education as a chief program planner. In the 1970s he served in various governmental positions. He was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1976 to represent Hawaii's Second Congressional District, and he served for 13 years. In 1990 he was appointed to the U.S. Senate to succeed the deceased Spark Matsunaga. Akaka would later be re-elected to three full terms. In March 2011 he announced that he will not run for re-election in 2012.[4]
Contents
Early life and career
Akaka was born in Honolulu, the son of Annie (née Kahoa) and Kahikina Akaka.[5] His brother was Rev. Abraham Akaka. He entered the military immediately after high school graduation, serving from 1943 to 1947. During World War II he served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, including service on Saipan and Tinian. He worked as a welder and a mechanic and spent his final months of the war as a first mate on the vessel Morning Star.
Entering college (funded by the G.I. Bill), he earned a bachelor of education in 1952 from the University of Hawaii. He later received a master of education from the same school in 1966. He worked as a high school teacher in Honolulu from 1953 until 1960, when he was then hired as a vice principal. In 1963, he became head principal. In 1969, he was hired by the Department of Education as a chief program planner. Akaka then continued working in government, holding positions as director of the Hawaii Office of Economic Opportunity, human resources assistant for state Governor George Ariyoshi, and director of the Progressive Neighborhoods Program.
Akaka was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1976 to represent Hawaii's Second Congressional District. He won seven consecutive elections by wide margins.
United States Senate
Akaka at Senate youth program
Akaka was appointed by Governor John Waihee to the U.S. Senate in April 1990 to serve temporarily after the death of Senator Spark Matsunaga, and sworn into office on May 16, 1990. In November of the same year, he was elected to complete the remaining four years of Matsunaga's unexpired term. He was re-elected in 1994 for a full six-year term and, with over 70 percent of the popular vote, again in 2000. Akaka is one of two current senators who have been elected to the Senate multiple times after being appointed.Political positions and votes
Since 2000, Akaka has sponsored legislation to afford sovereignty to native Hawaiians. The Akaka Bill is presently under consideration. In 2005 Akaka acknowledged in an interview with NPR that the Akaka Bill could eventually result in outright independence:
Akaka: It (the Akaka Bill) creates a government-to-government relationship with the United States.
NPR: Democratic Senator Dan Akaka, himself a native, wants Congress to let Hawaiians re-establish their national identity. He says his bill would give them a kind of legal parity with tribal governments on the mainland, but he says this sovereignty could eventually go further, perhaps even leading to outright independence.
Akaka: That could be. As far as what's going to happen at the other end, I'm leaving it up to my grandchildren and great-grandchildren."[6]
The Akaka Bill has been supported as a means of restoring Hawaiian self-determination lost with the 1893 overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii,[7] and would include giving up the ability to sue for sovereignty in federal courts in exchange for recognition by the federal government (but would not block sovereignty claims made under international law.)[8] The bill has been criticized as discriminating on the basis on ethnic origin in that only Native Hawaiians would be permitted to participate in the governing entity that the bill would establish.[9]
In April 2006, he was selected by Time as one of America's Five Worst Senators. The article criticized him for mainly authoring minor legislation, calling him "master of the minor resolution and the bill that dies in committee".[10]
The other Senator from Hawaii is Daniel Inouye. Despite almost three decades' difference in Senate tenure, the two Daniels were born just four days apart. Akaka is married to Mary Mildred "Millie" Chong; they have five children (four sons and a daughter), 14 grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
Like Inouye and 21 other Senators, Akaka voted against authorization of the use of military force against Iraq.[11]
In February 2009, a bill was filed in the Philippine House of Representatives by Rep. Antonio Diaz seeking to confer honorary Filipino citizenship on Akaka, Senators Daniel Inouye and Ted Stevens and Representative Bob Filner, for their role in securing the passage of benefits for Filipino World War II veterans.[12]
On March 2, 2011, Akaka announced he does not intend on running for re-election in the 2012 U.S. Senate elections.[4]
Committees
- Committee on Armed Services
- Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
- Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
- Committee on Indian Affairs (Chairman)
- Committee on Veterans' Affairs
- Congressional Task Force on Native Hawaiian Issues (Chairman)
Caucuses
- Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
- Congressional Biotechnology Caucus
- Congressional Postal Caucus (Vice Chair)
- International Conservation Caucus
- Senate Anti-Meth Caucus
- Senate Army Caucus (Co-Chair)
- Senate Sweetener Caucus (Co-Chair)
- Senate Oceans Caucus
Electoral history
United States Senate special election, 1990: Hawaii Party Candidate Votes % ±% Democratic Daniel Akaka (inc.) 188,901 53.72 Republican Pat Saiki 155,978 44.35 Libertarian Ken Schoolland 6,788 1.93 Majority 32,923 9.36 Turnout 351,666 United States Senate election, 1994: Hawaii[13] Party Candidate Votes % ±% Democratic Daniel Akaka (inc.) 256,189 71.8% Republican Maria Hustace 86,320 24.2% Libertarian Richard Rowland 14,393 4.0% Majority Turnout Democratic hold Swing United States Senate election, 2000: Hawaii[14] Party Candidate Votes % ±% Democratic Daniel Akaka (inc.) 251,215 77.7% Republican John Carroll 84,701 24.5% Natural Law Lauri A. Clegg 4,220 1.2% Libertarian Lloyd Jeffrey Mallan 3,127 0.9% Constitution David Porter 2,360 0.7% United States Senate Democratic primary election, 2006: Hawaii Majority Candidate Votes[15] Percentage Daniel Akaka 129,158 52.2% Ed Case 107,163 45.0% United States Senate election, 2006: Hawaii Party Candidate Votes % ±% Democratic Daniel Akaka (inc.) 210,330 61.4 -11.5 Republican Cynthia Thielen 126,097 36.8 +12.3 Libertarian Lloyd Mallan 6,415 1.9 +1.0 Majority 84,233 24.6 Turnout 342,842 Democratic hold Swing See also
- Hōkūle‘a - In 1987, his son Daniel Akaka sailed aboard her from Papeʻete to Tautira, Tahiti, French Polynesia.
References
- ^ "MINK, Patsy Takemoto - Biographical Information". Bioguide.congress.gov. http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=m000797. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
- ^ AP pronunciation guide
- ^ About Senator Akaka Daniel Kahikina Akaka, U.S. Senator of Hawaii
- ^ a b DePledge, Derrick (March 3, 2011). "'The right time'". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/20110303_The_right_time.html. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
- ^ Genealogy from ancestry.com
- ^ Kaste, Martin (August 16, 2005). "Native Hawaiians Seek Self Rule". NPR.org. NPR. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4801431. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
- ^ Reyes, B.J. (January 22, 2008). "Obama would sign Akaka Bill as president". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. http://archives.starbulletin.com/2008/01/22/news/story05.html. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
- ^ Carlson, Ragnar (August 19, 2009). "Nationhood". Honolulu Weekly. http://honoluluweekly.com/cover/2009/08/nationhood/. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
- ^ Camire, Dennis (June 9, 2006). "After bill fails, Akaka vows to try again". Honolulu Advertiser. http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Jun/09/ln/FP606090359.html. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
- ^ Massimo Calabresi and Perry Bacon, Jr., "Daniel Akaka: Master of the Minor", Time Magazine, April 24, 2006, page 30.
- ^ U.S. Senate: Legislation & Records Home > Votes > Roll Call Vote
- ^ Leila Salaverria (2009-02-24). "4 US solons as honorary Filipinos". Philippine Daily Inquirer. http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20090224-190786/4-US-solons-as-honorary-Filipinos. Retrieved 2009-03-20.
- ^ http://hawaii.gov/elections/results/1994/94gen.pdf
- ^ http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/2000/2000Stat.htm
- ^ Primary Election 2006 - State of Hawaii - Statewide
External links
- United States Senator Daniel Kahikina Akaka official U.S. Senate site
- Dan Akaka U.S. Senate official campaign site
- Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Congressional profile at GovTrack
- Congressional profile at OpenCongress
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
- Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Appearances on C-SPAN programs
United States House of Representatives Preceded by
Patsy MinkMember of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Hawaii's 2nd congressional district
January 3, 1977 – May 15, 1990Succeeded by
Patsy MinkUnited States Senate Preceded by
Spark MatsunagaUnited States Senator (Class 1) from Hawaii
1990–present
Served alongside: Daniel InouyeIncumbent Political offices Preceded by
Larry CraigChairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee
2007-2011Succeeded by
Patty MurrayPreceded by
Byron DorganChairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee
2007–presentIncumbent Party political offices Preceded by
Spark MatsunagaDemocratic nominee for United States Senator from Hawaii
(Class 1)
1990, 1994, 2000, 2006Succeeded by
Most recentUnited States order of precedence Preceded by
Joseph Lieberman
I-ConnecticutUnited States Senators by seniority
21stSucceeded by
Dianne Feinstein
D-CaliforniaUnited States Senators from Hawaii Class 1 
Class 3 Past and Present Members of the United States House of Representatives from Hawaii One At-large seat
(1959-1963)
Two At-large seats
(1963-1971)SeatGill • MinkSeatDistricts
(1971-present)12Hawaii's current delegation to the United States Congress Senators Daniel Inouye (D), Daniel Akaka (D)Representatives Colleen Hanabusa (D), Mazie Hirono (D)Other states'
delegationsAlabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming
Non‑voting: American Samoa • District of Columbia • Guam • Northern Mariana Islands • Puerto Rico • U.S. Virgin IslandsCurrent members of the United States Senate AL: Shelby (R), Sessions (R)
AK: Murkowski (R), Begich (D)
AZ: McCain (R), Kyl (R)
AR: Pryor (D), Boozman (R)
CA: Feinstein (D), Boxer (D)
CO: M. Udall (D), Bennet (D)
CT: Lieberman (I), Blumenthal (D)
DE: Carper (D), Coons (D)
FL: C.W. Nelson (D), Rubio (R)
GA: Chambliss (R), Isakson (R)
HI: Inouye (D), Akaka (D)
ID: Crapo (R), Risch (R)
IL: Durbin (D), Kirk (R)IN: Lugar (R), Coats (R)
IA: Grassley (R), Harkin (D)
KS: Roberts (R), Moran (R)
KY: McConnell (R), Paul (R)
LA: Landrieu (D), Vitter (R)
ME: Snowe (R), Collins (R)
MD: Mikulski (D), Cardin (D)
MA: Kerry (D), S.P. Brown (R)
MI: Levin (D), Stabenow (D)
MN: Klobuchar (D), Franken (D)
MS: Cochran (R), Wicker (R)
MO: McCaskill (D), Blunt (R)MT: Baucus (D), Tester (D)
NE: E.B. Nelson (D), Johanns (R)
NV: Reid (D), Heller (R)
NH: Shaheen (D), Ayotte (R)
NJ: Lautenberg (D), Menendez (D)
NM: Bingaman (D), T. Udall (D)
NY: Schumer (D), Gillibrand (D)
NC: Burr (R), Hagan (D)
ND: Conrad (D), Hoeven (R)
OH: S.C. Brown (D), Portman (R)
OK: Inhofe (R), Coburn (R)
OR: Wyden (D), Merkley (D)PA: Casey (D), Toomey (R)
RI: Reed (D), Whitehouse (D)
SC: Graham (R), DeMint (R)
SD: T. Johnson (D), Thune (R)
TN: Alexander (R), Corker (R)
TX: Hutchison (R), Cornyn (R)
UT: Hatch (R), Lee (R)
VT: Leahy (D), Sanders (I)
VA: Webb (D), Warner (D)
WA: Murray (D), Cantwell (D)
WV: Rockefeller (D), Manchin (D)
WI: Kohl (D), R. Johnson (R)
WY: Enzi (R), Barrasso (R)Chairmen of the United States Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs Hartke • Cranston • Simpson • Cranston • Rockefeller • Simpson • Specter • Rockefeller • Specter • Craig • AkakaCategories:- 1924 births
- Living people
- United States Senators from Hawaii
- Appointed United States Senators
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Hawaii
- State cabinet secretaries of Hawaii
- Hawaii Democrats
- American politicians of Chinese descent
- Native Hawaiian politicians
- People from Honolulu, Hawaii
- American military personnel of World War II
- American military personnel of Asian descent
- United States Army officers
- American schoolteachers
- United Church of Christ members
- University of Hawaii alumni
- Kamehameha Schools alumni
- Hokulea
- Members of the United States Congress of Asian descent
- Democratic Party United States Senators
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