Daniel Akaka
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| Daniel Akaka | |
| | |
| 1990–Present | |
| Political party: | Democratic |
|---|---|
| Preceded by: | Spark Matsunaga |
| Succeeded by: | Incumbent (2013) |
| Born: | September 11, 1924 Honolulu, Hawaiʻi |
| Spouse: | Mary Mildred Chong |
| Religion: | Congregationalist |
Daniel Kahikina "Dan" Akaka (Chinese: 阿卡卡 李碩, Hanyu pinyin: a'kaka li'shuo) (born September 11, 1924) is a U.S. Senator from Hawaiʻi and a member of the Democratic Party. He is the second U.S. Senator of Native Hawaiian ancestry and is the only Chinese American member of the Senate.
Akaka was born in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. 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 Hawaiʻi.
He was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1976 to represent Hawaiʻi's Second Congressional District. He won seven consecutive elections by wide margins.
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.
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 also served on the Select Committee on Ethics.
Akaka is married to Mary Mildred "Millie" Chong; they have 5 children (four sons and a daughter), 14 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren.
[edit] 2006 re-election campaign
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".<ref>Massimo Calabresi and Perry Bacon, Jr., "Daniel Akaka: Master of the Minor", Time Magazine, April 24, 2006, page 30.</ref>
Akaka won the September 23rd primary against U.S. Congressman Ed Case with 54% against Case's 46%.<ref>"Akaka wins Hawaiʻi primary", CNN.com, September 27, 2006.</ref> 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.
On November 7, Daniel Akaka defeated Thielen, 61% to 37%.
[edit] References
<references/>
[edit] External links
- U.S. Senate homepage
- 2006 reelection campaign site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
| Preceded by: Spark Matsunaga | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii's 2nd congressional district 1977–1990 | Succeeded by: Patsy Mink |
| Preceded by: Spark Matsunaga | United States Senator (Class 1) from Hawaii 1990 – present Served alongside: Daniel Inouye | Incumbent |
| Hawaii's delegation to the 110th United States Congress |
|---|
| Senators: Daniel Inouye (D), Daniel Akaka (D)
Representative(s): Neil Abercrombie (D), Mazie Hirono (D) All delegations: Alabama • 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 — American Samoa • District of Columbia • Guam • Puerto Rico • U.S. Virgin Islands |
ja:ダニエル・K・アカカ pl:Daniel Akaka ru:Акака, Дэниел sv:Daniel Akaka zh:李碩
Categories: 1924 births | Chinese Americans | American Congregationalists | American schoolteachers | United States Army officers | American World War II veterans | Members of the United States House of Representatives from Hawaii | United States Senators from Hawaii | Living people | Native Hawaiian people | Asian American politicians
