Sen. Daniel Inouye

Sen. Daniel Inouye, JD '52, who died Dec. 17, gave a commencement address to GW Law graduates in 2008.

Sen. Daniel Inouye, JD '52, the first Japanese American elected to Congress and a recipient of an honorary Doctor of Laws from GW, died Dec. 17 at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. He was 88.

The second-longest-serving member in U.S. Senate history, Sen. Inouye was an instrumental figure in shaping U.S. defense policy and was a tireless defender of the interests of the Hawaiian people. A highly decorated World War II veteran, Sen. Inouye joined the U.S. Army at 17 years old after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He served with the famous "Go for Broke" U.S. Army regiment and received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic actions after losing an arm while leading an assault in San Terenzo, Italy, on April 21, 1945.

Sen. Inouye graduated from the University of Hawaii in 1950 and GW Law School in 1952. In 1958, he was elected to Hawaii's Territorial Senate, and he became Hawaii's first member of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1959, when Hawaii achieved statehood. Sen. Inouye served almost nine consecutive terms in office.

In 1962, George Washington University honored Sen. Inouye with its Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award, and he served as a member of the university's Board of Trustees from 1982 to 1992. Sen. Inouye delivered the keynote address at the GW Law School's 2008 Commencement, where he received an honorary Doctor of Laws from the university.