Kyle Mark Takai (July 1, 1967 – July 20, 2016) was an American politician from the state of

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

who served in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, representing , from 2015 to 2016. He served in the

Hawaii House of Representatives The Hawaii House of Representatives is the lower house of the Hawaii State Legislature. Pursuant to Article III, Section 3 of the Constitution of Hawaii, amended during the 1978 constitutional convention, the House of Representatives consists ...

from 1994 to 2014. A native of

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...

, Takai last served in the Hawaii Army National Guard as a lieutenant colonel and took part in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2009, concurrent with his political career. He became the Democratic Party nominee for the U.S. House in the 2014 elections, defeating former Congressman Charles Djou to win the seat. Takai announced in May 2016 that he would not seek reelection due to ill health; he died from cancer two months later.

Early life and education

Takai was born in

. He received his diploma from Pearl City High School in 1985, where he was a four-time high school swimming champion and a high school All-American swimmer. Takai received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree in political science and a Master of Public Health degree from the

University of Hawaii at Manoa A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

. At the university, Takai was a

Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, and Texas. Due to mos ...

champion swimmer, president of the Associated Students of the University of Hawaii, and editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper. He was a member of the 1998 class of the Pacific Century Fellows.

Political career

Takai was first elected to the

in 1994, representing the 34th house district of Pearl City, near

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the R ...

. He was reelected eight times before shifting to represent the 33rd house district of Aiea in 2012. Takai chaired the House Committee on Culture and the Arts from 1997 to 2000. He also served as vice chair of the House Committee on Higher Education (1995–2002) and as chair in 2003–2004. Additionally, he chaired the House Committee on Veterans, Military, & International Affairs, & Culture and the Arts. During the 2005 and 2006 sessions, Takai served as Vice Speaker of the House. Takai left his 20-year tenure as a state representative to become the Democratic nominee for the

for in the 2014 elections, after

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-ele ...

Colleen Hanabusa Colleen Wakako Hanabusa ( ja, 花房若子; born May 4, 1951) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2015 and again from 2016 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she ran for her party ...

's decision to run for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

. He won the election with 51.2% of the vote, defeating Republican nominee Charles Djou. In November 2015, he introduced the Atomic Veterans Healthcare Parity Act, extending federal compensation to those made sick by involvement in cleanup operations after bomb tests on Pacific islands.

Committee assignments

* Committee on Armed Services ** Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces ** Subcommittee on Strategic Forces * Committee on Small Business ** Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy and Trade ** Subcommittee on Contracting and Workforce (Ranking Member)

Military service

Takai was commissioned as first lieutenant in the Hawaii Army National Guard (HIARNG) on July 19, 1999, and worked as the Preventive Medical Officer. He was the Division Chief for Soldiers Services and a School Liaison for the HIARNG. He later became a lieutenant colonel on May 14, 2013. Takai also served as the President of the Hawaii National Guard Association and the President of the National Guard Association-Hawaii Insurance, Inc. Takai was called to active duty for six months (May to November 2005) and served as the Hawaii Army National Guard Deputy State Surgeon. He later served as the Company Commander of Charlie Company (Medical), 29th Brigade Support Battalion from November 2006 to May 2008. Takai was posted abroad during Operation Iraqi Freedom as the Base Operations Officer (Camp Mayor) at Camp Patriot, Kuwait, from February 2009 to September 2009. Among his numerous awards and decorations, Takai received the Meritorious Service Medal from the United States Army in 2009, the Distinguished Service Medal from the National Guard Association of the United States in 2011, and the Hawaii Distinguished Service Order in 2012.

Illness and death

Takai was diagnosed with a small tumor on his pancreas in late October 2015. On May 19, 2016, he announced that he would not seek reelection because his cancer had spread, but vowed to serve the remaining eight months of his term. He died two months later at his home in Aiea. He was 49. He was survived by his wife, Sami, and their two children. In 2018, Takai was posthumously inducted into the Hawaii Swimming Hall of Fame.

References

External links

Campaign site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Takai, Mark 1967 births 2016 deaths 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American politicians United States Army personnel of the Iraq War American Episcopalians American military personnel of Japanese descent Deaths from cancer in Hawaii Deaths from pancreatic cancer Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Hawaii Hawaii National Guard personnel Hawaii politicians of Japanese descent Hawaii Rainbow Warriors swimmers Democratic Party members of the Hawaii House of Representatives Members of the United States Congress of Japanese descent Asian-American members of the United States House of Representatives Military personnel from Hawaii National Guard (United States) officers Politicians from Honolulu Swimmers from Hawaii University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumni United States Army colonels