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Ms. Lindsey

Modern Hawaiian History

2-21-18

Biographical Essay

Patsy Takemoto Mink was a strong and determined woman who wasn’t afraid to stand up

for what was right. She fought throughout her whole political career and never let anyone stop

her. As a third generation Japanese American, Patsy was ahead of her time and would go on to

make history. The things that Patsy accomplished throughout her career will forever have an

impact on women and politics.

Patsy Matsu Takemoto Mink was born on December 6 1927, in Paia, Hawaii. She was

one of two children raised by Mitamia Tateyama and Suematsu Takemoto. They lived a pretty

simple life but definitely experienced racial discrimination because of the bombing of Pearl

Harbor when Patsy was just 14. Patsy attended Maui High School and was very involved in

politics from the start. She became president of the student body which was extremely rare for an

Asian American women at the time. Patsy graduated high school as valedictorian in 1944. Patsy

then went on to Wilson College and the University of Nebraska with the idea of going into

medicine. She once again faced racial discrimination and shortly after developed a severe thyroid

condition which sent her to Honolulu. After finishing off her last year at the University of

Hawaii, she earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry and zoology. Mink then applied for the

University of Chicago law and surprisingly got accepted. There, she earned a J.D. and met her

future husband John Francis Mink who she had one daughter with.
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As Patsy was getting more and more involved in politics, she decided it was time for a

change. In 1959, after Hawaii became an official state, she ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic

nomination in the U.S. House of Representatives against Daniel Inouye. This was obviously a

devastating loss for Patsy but she came back even stronger. In 1964, after the U.S. House created

a second seat for Hawaii, she started a campaign with volunteers and her husband by her side.

She did not ask for permission from the Democratic Party leadership due to their unwillingness

to allow the party to influence her political agenda, according to history.house.gov. Patsy ended

up winning the election in a four-way race and got 27% of the total votes. This meant that she

also became the first Asian-American and women from Hawaii to serve in the U.S Congress.

Patsy Mink served a total of six terms after winning her first election in 1964 and made

many impactful accomplishments along the way. Although she mainly focused on women's

rights and racial discrimination, she had a huge impact on everyone that she was surrounded by.

One of her bigger accomplishments was while she was serving in the U.S. House. She introduced

the first childcare bill and legislation which helped establish student loans, bilingual education,

and special education. Patsy also was a part of the Women's Education Equality Act which

produced $30 million a year for women's job opportunities. It also helped take away stereotypes

from textbooks and schools. In 1972, Patsy supported the Title IX of the Education Amendments

which helped bring more opportunities for women athletes. According to Patsy, “because there

were only eight women at the time who were Members of Congress, that I had a special burden

to bear to speak for [all women], because they didn’t have people who could express their

concerns for them adequately. So, I always felt that we were serving a dual role in Congress,

representing our own districts and, at the same time, having to voice the concerns of the total
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population of women in the country”, history.house.gov. Patsy had many other triumphs and

huge accomplishments that completely changed Hawaii. After serving in the U.S. House for 6

terms, Patsy lost in the election for a seat in the U.S. Senate. In 1990, she returned to the U.S.

House where she filled a vacant spot in the Hawaii congressional district. Patsy remained in

politics until she died from severe pneumonia on September 28, 2002. Shortly after her death, the

Title IX was renamed Patsy Takemoto Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act.

Patsy Mink was one of the most influential women of her time. She did so much for the

well being of Hawaii and was so good at what she did. Patsy fought throughout her whole

political career and never let the racial or gender discrimination get to her. Overall, Patsy Mink

will go down as one of the most courageous, kind-hearted, and resilient women of all time.

Work Cited

“Mink, Patsy Takemoto.” ​History, Art, & Archives

“Patsy Mink.”​ Wikipedia, 16 Jan. 2018. 22 Feb. 2018.

“Patsy Takemoto Mink.” ​Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Feb. 2018.