Daniel K. Inouye, the first American of Japanese ancestry elected to the U.S. Senate, went on to become the most powerful politician in Hawai'i's history.
Elected to the U.S. House the year Hawai'i achieved statehood, in 1959, Inouye won his Senate seat in 1962 and was virtually unbeatable through his next six consecutive terms (he walked away with 76 percent of the votes to win his seventh term in 1998).
He has relished his role as a senator and has worked tirelessly to continue the momentum. On his 80th birthday, while campaigning for an eighth term in the Senate, he boasted that he had never taken a vacation in his life.
Inouye became famous during the nationally televised Watergate hearings in the early 1970s, although commentators continually mispronounced his last name, placing the emphasis on the first syllable instead of the second.
He also was prominent as chairman of the Senate Iran-Contra hearings. He chaired both the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and the Commerce Committee.
Throughout his political career, Inouye has remained focused on the interests and needs of his constituents in the mid-Pacific, fighting for legislation that would provide additional jobs back home or enhance the armed forces, which are vital to the state's economy.
Born in Honolulu in 1924, Inouye watched horrified as Japanese bombers flew over O'ahu on Dec. 7, 1941. He later became a hero of the fabled "Go For Broke" 422d Regimental Combat Team in Europe — losing his right arm while leading an attack in Italy that killed 25 Germans and captured eight others.
The Distinguished Service Cross he received for valor during World War II was upgraded in June 2000 to the nation's highest military award, the Medal of Honor.
Of all his accomplishments, Inouye claims to be proudest of his efforts on behalf of Native Hawaiians, such as getting federal funding for scholarships or lobbying in favor of the Akaka bill — the namesake legislation of Inouye's friend and fellow senator from Hawai'i, Daniel Akaka.
