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Early life and education
Patsy Mink was born on December 6th, 1927. She was the third generation of Japanese immigrants and was one out of the eleven children her parents had. She started Grammar school when she was four and then transferred in 4th grade.
During Mink's senior year, she ran for student body president, became the first girl to serve as president, and graduated as valedictorian in 1944. During her college years, she transferred schools multiple times and lastly graduated from University of Hawaii, the college she first studied at.
Mink's ultimate goal was to have a career in medicine, but when graduating from college and applying to medical school, no school would take her because she was a woman. A supervisor at her work encouraged her to consider a career in law instead. After two schools rejected her, she got accepted into University of Chicago as a foreign student.
Career
While being married, Mink struggled to find work as an Asian-American attorney and returned to work at the library of University of Chicago. Separating from her husband to move back to Hawaii, Mink needed to pass the bar examination in Hawaii to be able to practice law on the island. There her residency was questioned. Mink was considered living in the state of Pennsylvania, the home state of her husband. She challenged Hawaii's attorney general, stating the law was sexist and they ruled in her favor. Patsy Mink became the first Japanese-American woman licensed to practice law in Hawaii.
When Hawaii became the 50th state, Mink had served in the Hawaiian Territorial Legislature representing the Fifth District in the territorial House of Representatives. She was known for her independent decision making and liberal positions and she served in the Hawaiian State Senate from 1962-64.
In 1965, Mink campaigned and won a seat in the U.S House. She became the first African-American woman to serve in congress and the first woman of color elected to the U.S House of Representative. She served in office from 1965-77 before shifting to the private sector and later back into congress.
In 2002, a week after Mink won the election she died of viral pneumonia due to complications from chickenpox. In her honor, the Secretary of Defence, Donald Rumsfeild ordered all flags at the military institutions to be lowered to half staff.
