Patsy Mink

Patsy Mink (born December 6, 1927, Paia, Hawaii—died September 8, 2002, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.) was an American politician who was the first Asian American woman, and the second woman from Hawaii, to be elected (1964) to the U.S. Congress. She served in the House of Representatives from 1965 to 1977 and from 1989 to 2002.

Education and political career

Patsy Takemoto was one of two children born to Mitama (née Tateyama) Takemoto and Suematsu Takemoto, a civil engineer. She attended the University of Hawaii, where she studied zoology and chemistry. After being rejected by several medical schools, she opted to pursue a legal career. She enrolled at the University of Chicago Law School, and there she met John Mink, whom she later married.

After graduating in 1951, Patsy Mink became the first Japanese American to practice law in Hawaii. She was elected to the Hawaii Territorial Legislature in 1956 and the Hawaii Senate in 1958. In 1964 she won election to the U.S. House of Representatives. She took office the following year and continued to serve until 1977.

After losing a bid for a U.S. Senate seat in 1976, Mink served as Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (1977–78) and as a member (1983–87) and chairperson (1983–85) of the Honolulu city council. Winning a special election in 1990, she returned to the House of Representatives, where she served until her death.

Political views

A liberal Democrat, Mink opposed U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War and promoted legislation in support of civil rights, public education, and organized labor. She was one of the authors of Title IX, which in 1972 mandated equal funding for women’s academic and athletic programs in institutions receiving federal money. Following her death in 2002, Title IX was officially renamed the Patsy Takemoto Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act.