U.S. Congresswoman. A member of the Democratic Party, she served in the US House of Representatives for twelve terms, from January 1965 until January 1977 and again from September 1990 until her death. The daughter of second-generation Japanese American parents, her father was the first Japanese American to graduate from the University of Hawaii in Honolulu, Hawaii. While in high school, the Japanese attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii which launched the U.S. entry into World War II (WWII), and she learned to overcome the prejudices and resentment of her classmates due to her Japanese ancestry. She attended Wilson College at Chambersburg, Pennsylvania and the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Nebraska, she returned to Hawaii where she received her bachelor's degree from the University of Hawaii in 1948. After being turned down by medical schools, she decided to pursue a law degree and graduated in 1951 from the University of Chicago Law School in Illinois. She then returned to Hawaii to practice law and in 1956, she entered politics when she was elected to the Hawaii territorial Legislature and later the Hawaii Senate. In 1964, she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii's at-large district and became the first ethnic female minority to serve in Congress. In 1976, she ran for the U.S. Senate but lost in the Democratic primary to Spark Matsunaga. In March 1977, she was appointed Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, serving in that position until May 1978. She then returned to Hawaii where she served on the Honolulu City Council. In 1990, she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii's 1st district, succeeding Daniel Akaka who was appointed to the US Senate to fill Spark Matsunaga's vacancy. During her time in Congress, she introduced the Early Childhood Education Act and wrote the Women's Educational Equity Act, and from 1975 until 1977, she served as Secretary of the House Democratic Caucus. On August 30, 2002, she was hospitalized due to complications from chickenpox, and she died from viral pneumonia at the age of 74. In 2007, the Central Oahu Regional Park on the Island of Oahu was renamed Patsy T. Mink Central Oahu Regional Park in her honor. She was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in November 2014.
U.S. Congresswoman. A member of the Democratic Party, she served in the US House of Representatives for twelve terms, from January 1965 until January 1977 and again from September 1990 until her death. The daughter of second-generation Japanese American parents, her father was the first Japanese American to graduate from the University of Hawaii in Honolulu, Hawaii. While in high school, the Japanese attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii which launched the U.S. entry into World War II (WWII), and she learned to overcome the prejudices and resentment of her classmates due to her Japanese ancestry. She attended Wilson College at Chambersburg, Pennsylvania and the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Nebraska, she returned to Hawaii where she received her bachelor's degree from the University of Hawaii in 1948. After being turned down by medical schools, she decided to pursue a law degree and graduated in 1951 from the University of Chicago Law School in Illinois. She then returned to Hawaii to practice law and in 1956, she entered politics when she was elected to the Hawaii territorial Legislature and later the Hawaii Senate. In 1964, she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii's at-large district and became the first ethnic female minority to serve in Congress. In 1976, she ran for the U.S. Senate but lost in the Democratic primary to Spark Matsunaga. In March 1977, she was appointed Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, serving in that position until May 1978. She then returned to Hawaii where she served on the Honolulu City Council. In 1990, she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii's 1st district, succeeding Daniel Akaka who was appointed to the US Senate to fill Spark Matsunaga's vacancy. During her time in Congress, she introduced the Early Childhood Education Act and wrote the Women's Educational Equity Act, and from 1975 until 1977, she served as Secretary of the House Democratic Caucus. On August 30, 2002, she was hospitalized due to complications from chickenpox, and she died from viral pneumonia at the age of 74. In 2007, the Central Oahu Regional Park on the Island of Oahu was renamed Patsy T. Mink Central Oahu Regional Park in her honor. She was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in November 2014.
Bio by: William Bjornstad
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