![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP_04042704917.jpg.jpg\")
His legislative style was described as low-key, a characterization he embraced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI have a Hawaiian style of dealing with my colleagues,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Akaka developed a reputation as a congenial legislator who made many friends while making few waves in pressing the interests of the 50th state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSenator Daniel Kahikina Akaka embodied the aloha spirit,\u201d Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii said in a statement. \u201cHe dedicated his life to serving the people of Hawaii as an educator, and in the U.S. Army, state government, the U.S. House, and the U.S. Senate. In Congress, Senator Akaka\u2019s care, empathy, and collegiality served as an example for us all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 1996, Akaka sponsored federal legislation that ultimately resulted in Medals of Honor \u2014 the Army\u2019s highest honor for bravery \u2014 for 22 Asian-American soldiers who fought during World War II. Those soldiers included the late Sen. Daniel Inouye, who was severely wounded in Italy while serving with the famed Japanese-American 442nd Regimental Combat Team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Akaka once said his main accomplishment in Congress was obtaining federal funds for Hawaii for education, energy and Native Hawaiian programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the 2006 general election, the then-82-year-old senator stressed the value of his Senate seniority and his opposition to the war in Iraq. Akaka went on to become chairman of the Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He expanded his harsh criticism of the George W. Bush administration, getting involved in a number of issues with a more aggressive congressional staff. A World War II veteran, Akaka often stressed the hidden damage of war, including mental illness among veterans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs we work to meet the needs of all returning service members,\u201d Akaka said, \u201cwe must pay close attention to the full range of war wounds, from eye trauma and damage to service members\u2019 hearing, to (post-traumatic stress disorder) and depression, to burn injuries.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He introduced several measures to improve services to veterans, help aging Filipino vets who fought for America in World War II and end contactor waste and fraud in Iraq.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But Akaka gained the most attention for his fight to pass legislation that carried his name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Hawaiian Recognition Bill, known widely as the Akaka Bill, was intended to give Native Hawaiians the same recognition as Native Americans and Alaska Natives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Opponents called it unconstitutional favoritism toward one race even though it had broad bipartisan support in Hawaii, a state where no ethnic group makes up the majority of residents. Even some Native Hawaiians expressed doubts, arguing it would give the federal government too much immunity from their claims regarding land or other issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi remembered Akaka as a strong advocate for all Native people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDaniel Akaka was a clarion voice for the rights and needs of Native peoples, ensuring that our commitment to Tribal nations and Native Hawaiians was never forgotten,\u201d Pelosi said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Akaka\u2019s first foray into elective politics was an unsuccessful primary race for lieutenant governor in 1974. He eventually became a special assistant to then-Gov. George Ariyoshi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two years later, Akaka easily won election in Hawaii\u2019s 2nd Congressional District \u2014 encompassing rural Oahu and the islands of Hawaii, Kauai, Maui, Molokai and Niihau \u2014 and was re-elected six more times with at least 86 percent of the vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Born in 1924, Akaka grew up in a devoutly Christian home in Honolulu. He was the youngest of eight children of a Native Hawaiian mother and a Hawaiian-Chinese father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After serving in the Army Corps of Engineers during World War II, Akaka earned his bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degrees in education at the University of Hawaii. He was a public school teacher, principal and program specialist for 18 years before becoming director of the Hawaii Office of Economic Opportunity in 1971.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Akaka is survived by his wife, Mary Mildred \u201cMillie\u201d Chong, four sons, a daughter and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Associated Press writers Sophia Yan in Honolulu and Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska, contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Former Sen. Daniel Kahikina Akaka, the first Native Hawaiian elected to Congress who served for more than three decades, died Friday. He was 93.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":38467,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"coauthors":[2843],"class_list":["post-27389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-congress"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"OTBOFTQBHBG5LL4LZSIBGQOANM","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/04\/07\/daniel-akaka-former-senator-and-wwii-vet-dies-at-93\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP_16267710254677.jpg.jpg\")