- Pat Saiki
Infobox_Congressman
name = Pat Saiki
date of birth = birth date and age|1930|5|28
place of birth =Hilo, Hawaii
state =Hawaii
district = 1st
term_start =January 3 ,1987
term_end =January 3 ,1991
preceded =Neil Abercrombie
succeeded =Neil Abercrombie
party = Republican
spouse =
children =
religion =Patricia Fukuda "Pat" Saiki (born
May 28 ,1930 ) is an American politician and former school teacher from Hilo in the State of Hawai'i. She served as a Republican in Congress from 1987 to 1991 and then as Administrator of theSmall Business Administration underPresident of the United States George Herbert Walker Bush .Saiki, a
Japanese American , graduated fromHilo High School in 1948 and received her bachelor's degree from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa in 1952. Upon graduating college, Saiki became a teacher and later a business executive. In 1968, Saiki joined the Hawai'i Republican Party and ran successfully for a seat in the Hawai'i State House of Representatives. In 1974, she moved to the Hawai'i State Senate where she served her district until 1982. A vacancy was created by U.S. Rep.Cecil Heftel 's untimely leave from Congress, and onSeptember 20 ,1986 a special election was held. Saiki lost the special election (to DemocratNeil Abercrombie ) but won a separate election (over DemocratMufi Hannemann ) sending her to Congress where she served two consecutive terms. In 1988, she beat challengerMary Bitterman , a Democrat and former head ofVoice of America .Saiki is the only Republican to ever hold a House seat from the state of
Hawaii and one of only two Republican Members of Congress (the other being SenatorHiram Fong ) to represent the state since it gained statehood. She is also the second woman to be elected to Congress from the state of Hawaii (the first beingPatsy Mink , with whom Saiki served for two years).In 1990, she lost a
United States Senate race toDaniel K. Akaka , then was appointed Administrator of theSmall Business Administration under PresidentGeorge Herbert Walker Bush . In 1994, she lost a race for Governor of Hawai'i against Democrat challengerBenjamin J. Cayetano . She attributes her loss in 1994 to the third-party candidacy of maverickMayor of Honolulu Frank F. Fasi. Saiki placed third in the race behind Fasi.Fact|date=February 2007References
External links
* [http://starbulletin.com/2002/11/10/editorial/flanagan.html "Honolulu Star-Bulletin", November 10, 2002 interview.]
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