Akaka, Daniel Kahikina (1924-2018), was a member of the United States Senate from 1990 to 2013. Akaka, a Democrat, represented Hawaii. He was appointed to the Senate in 1990 to succeed Spark M. Matsunaga, who had died. Later that year, Akaka won a special election to serve the remaining four years of Matsunaga’s term. Akaka was elected to his first full term in the Senate in 1994.
Akaka was born on Sept. 11, 1924, in Honolulu. He served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1945 to 1947. Akaka earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Hawaii, also spelled University of Hawai‘i, in 1952 and a master’s degree in 1966. He taught school in Hawaii from 1953 to 1960 and was a school principal from 1963 to 1971.
From 1971 to 1974, Akaka was director of the Hawaii Office of Economic Opportunity. He was special assistant in the Hawaii Office of the Governor in 1975 and 1976. Akaka served in the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 1990, when he resigned to accept the Senate appointment. As a senator, Akaka served as chair of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and as a member of the Armed Services, Indian Affairs, and Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs committees. Akaka did not seek reelection to the Senate in 2012. Akaka died on April 6, 2018.
