Daniel Akaka

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Daniel Akaka
Junior Senator from Hawaii
Incumbent
Assumed office  May 16, 1990 Serving with Daniel Inouye
Preceded by	Spark Matsunaga
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii's 2nd district
In office January 3, 1977 – May 15, 1990
Preceded by	Spark Matsunaga
Succeeded by	Patsy Mink
Born	September 11, 1924 (1924-09-11) (age 83) Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Nationality	American
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Mary Mildred Chong
Alma mater	University of Hawaii at Manoa
Profession	Educator (Teacher)
Religion	United Church of Christ

Daniel Kahikina Akaka (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 Chinese American member of the Senate^[1].

[edit] Early life and career

Akaka was born in Honolulu, Hawaii to Annie Kahoa and Kahikina Akaka.^[2] During World War II he served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, including service on Saipan and Tinian. He earned a Bachelor of Education (1952) and Master of Education (1966) from the University of Hawaii.

He 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.

[edit] United States Senate

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 (who died that month), 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.

Since 2000, Akaka has sponsored legislation to afford sovereignty to native Hawaiians. The Akaka Bill is presently under consideration.

Akaka at Senate youth program

As of 2006, Akaka serves on the following Senate committees:

• Armed Services,
• Energy and Natural Resources,
• Governmental Affairs (GAC), Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
• Veterans' Affairs,
• Indian Affairs.

He previously served on the Select Committee on Ethics.

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".^[3]

The other Senator from Hawaii is Daniel Inouye. Despite almost two decades' difference in Senate tenure, the two Daniels were born four days apart.

Akaka is married to Mary Mildred "Millie" Chong; they have 5 children (four sons and a daughter), 14 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren.

Like Inouye and 21 other Senators, Akaka voted against authorization of the use of military force against Iraq.^[4]

[edit] 2006 re-election campaign

Main article: Hawaii U.S. Senate election, 2006

Running for another term in 2006, Akaka won the September 23 Democratic primary against U.S. Congressman Ed Case with 54% to Case's 46%.^[5] Akaka's Republican challenger was state Representative Cynthia Thielen, who was appointed to fill the place of Republican primary winner Jerry Coffee, who had withdrawn earlier in the year due to health reasons.

In the general election on November 7, 2006, Daniel Akaka defeated Thielen, 62% to 36%.

[edit] Committees

• Committee on Armed Services
  • Subcommittee on Airland
  • Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support (Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on Seapower
• Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
  • Subcommittee on Energy
  • Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests
  • Subcommittee on National Parks (Chairman)
• Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
  • Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security
  • Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia (Chairman)
  • Ad Hoc Subcommittee on State, Local, and Private Sector Preparedness and Integration
• Committee on Indian Affairs
• Committee on Veteran's Affairs (Chairman)
• Congressional Task Force on Native Hawaiian Issues (Chairman)

[edit] Electoral history

2006 Hawaii United States Senatorial Election

2006 Hawaii Democratic United States Senatorial Primary Election

2000 Hawaii United States Senatorial Election

1994 Hawaii United States Senatorial Election

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Daniel Akaka

• United States Senator Daniel Kahikina Akaka, U.S. Senate site

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
• Dan Akaka U.S. Senate, Campaign site

v • d • e United States Senators from Hawaii Class 1: Fong • Matsunaga • Akaka Class 3: Long • Inouye

v • d • e Member of the United States House of Representatives from Hawaii At-large (1959-1963): Inouye At-large seat 1 (1963-1973): Gill • Mink At-large seat 2 (1963-1973): Matsunaga 1st district (1973-present): Mink • Heftel • Abercrombie • Saiki • Abercrombie 2nd district (1973-present): Matsunaga • Akaka • Mink • Case • Hirono