Hawaii Senator Daniel Inouye, the first Japanese-American to serve in both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, is now in line to become the president Pro-Tempore of the Senate, a position that ranks third in line to the presidency after the Vice President and the Speaker of the House.

As a Sansei Japanese-American, Sen. Inouye was born in Honolulu and raised by Japanese immigrant parents. During WWII, Sen. Inouye enlisted in the U.S. Army’s 442^nd Regimental Combat Team, an all Japanese-American regiment which became the most highly decorated unit in the history of the Army. Sen. Inouye was one of the first Japanese Americans to receive the Medal of Honor.

Sen. Inouye has been a vigorous and passionate advocate for the citizens of Hawaii, and since Hawaii is a major minority state, his impact on the AAPI community has been tremendous.

Cheers to Sen. Daniel Inouye for becoming the highest ranking Asian-American government official in U.S. history.