Daniel Kahikina Akaka Biography

Daniel Kahikina Akaka

Akaka attended the University of Hawaii, receiving a B.A. in 1952, a certificate in secondary education in 1953, a certificate in school administration in 1961, and an M.A. in education in 1966. From 1953 to 1968, Akaka worked as a schoolteacher and principal. In 1969 he began working for the state of Hawaii, eventually serving as a human resources aid to the governor and directing a state neighborhood program. In 1976, Akaka was elected to Congress, where he served until 1990, when he was appointed to the Senate. He won the subsequent senatorial election, and was reelected in 1994 and 2000. A Democrat, Akaka is the first senator of native Hawaiian ancestry and is the only senator of Chinese ancestry. He is married and has five children, 14 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.