A portrait of the late U.S. Senator and University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumnus Daniel K. Inouye was unveiled in the U.S. Capitol. The ceremony on October 25, was attended by members of Inouye’s family, as well as Sens. Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz, Reps. Ed Case and Jill Tokuda, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Inouye’s portrait, which will be displayed just off the Senate floor, is the first portrait of a person of color in the U.S. Senate’s leadership portrait series. The portrait was created by Kirk Kurokawa.
“Sen. Inouye and I worked together for decades and I was glad to honor his memory and celebrate his life today,” Hirono said. “His legacy lives on in Hawaiʻi and here in the Senate, and this portrait will serve as an important reminder of his work for years to come.”
“Sen. Daniel K. Inouye was an extraordinary public servant for Hawaiʻi and America and it’s fitting that he’s being honored with an official portrait here in the Senate where he was respected and beloved by so many,” Schatz said. “His remarkable legacy and immeasurable contributions will continue to better people’s lives for generations to come.”
Inouye was a proud UH Mānoa graduate and strong UH supporter. He helped allocate millions of dollars to the university for projects such as the UH Mānoa Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education, UH Hilo’s College of Pharmacy, Kauaʻi Community College’s Technology Center and the UH Maui College Allied Health Center.
Inouye served as Hawaiʻi’s first representative in the U.S. Congress in 1959. In 1962, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, making him the first Japanese American to serve in both the House and Senate, ultimately representing Hawaiʻi for 53 years. He was the second longest serving senator in history and rose to the rank of president pro tempore, which is third in the presidential line of succession. Inouye is a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, the nation’s highest award for military valor, for his heroic actions while serving in the decorated 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II. After his death in 2012, Inouye was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, making him the first senator to receive both the Medal of Freedom and the Medal of Honor.
“In the history of our country only some 2,000 of our fellow citizens have served in the United States Senate, and of them only a very few are honored and remembered in our Capitol for their service,” Case said. “U.S. Sen. Daniel Ken Inouye richly deserves this honor and remembrance, not for the quantity but for the quality and example and enduring legacy of his service. His are timeless lessons in faith in our country, commitment to our values and steady stewardship of our ideals that justly serve as a guide for the opportunities and challenges to come.”
“Over a decade after his passing, Sen. Inouye continues to break barriers,” Tokuda said. “As the first person of color to be included in the U.S. Senate leadership portrait collection, he continues to be a role model and inspiration, reminding us that government functions best when it is representative and reflective of the people it serves.”
