As a U.S. senator, Spark Matsunaga — war hero, poet and dreamer — fought to win redress for Japanese-Americans who were unfairly interned during World War II.
Born in 1918 on Kaua'i to immigrant Japanese plantation workers, he overcame extreme poverty through hard work, intelligence and an outgoing personality coupled with a gift of gab.
As a loyal American soldier on active duty when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, Matsunaga had known the bitter sting of suddenly being mistrusted by his fellow citizens and relieved of duty simply because of his race.
He was among the 1,500 Japanese-American volunteers who eventually succeeded in petitioning President Franklin D. Roosevelt to form the 100th Infantry Battalion, the seasoned soldiers who were attached to their younger counterparts, the all-Nisei "Go For Broke" 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
Wounded twice in Europe, Matsunaga received the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart with cluster. After the war, he enrolled at Harvard Law School under the GI Bill, graduating with honors in 1951.
Along with Daniel Inouye and George Ariyoshi, Matsunaga was one of the noted "Class of '54" Democrats who were swept into the territorial Legislature during the pre-statehood years, ending long Republican dominance.
He was elected to the U.S. House in 1962, and through seven consecutive terms established himself as a fighter for liberal causes who had an ability to get along with nearly everyone.
After Republican U.S. Sen. Hiram Fong retired in 1976, Matsunaga soundly defeated former Hawai'i Gov. William Quinn to win the seat he would occupy until his death from cancer in 1990.
During three terms in the Senate, Matsunaga worked to establish the U.S. Peace Institute, supported re-authorizing the Clean Air Act, and wrote the Spark Matsunaga Hydrogen Research and Development Act that financed alternative energy studies.
