Brody's Notes... Medal Of Honor Winner & U. S. Senator Daniel Inouye Dies at 88

President Bill Clinton awards Medal of Honor to U. S. Senator Daniel Inouye, 

on June 6, 2000. Photo: Robert A. Reeder/The Washington Post

By Brody Levesque | WASHINGTON -- The office of Senator Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) has confirmed that the Medal of Honor recipient and 50-year veteran of the U. S. Senate has died of respiratory complications at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda Monday afternoon. 

The 88-year-old Inouye was the longest serving senator and was president pro tempore of the Senate, third in the line of presidential succession.

Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin released the following statement regarding the passing of Senator Inouye:

“Few have done so much for so many as Senator Daniel Inouye. He distinguished himself in everything he set his mind to—from his heroic service in World War II to his historic tenure and record of accomplishment in the U.S. Senate. He gave his entire life to serving his fellow citizens.

"LGBT Americans across this country especially honor his unequivocal support for full LGBT equality—most notably, his 1996 vote against the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act, his support for marriage equality and his co-sponsorship of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and other pro-equality legislation. Senator Inouye was a trailblazing leader and he will remain in our memories for standing with his LGBT sisters and brothers from day one. We will miss him, and every American should be grateful to have been touched by the life of this remarkable man."

The Washington Post noted in its obituary:

A methodical behind-the-scenes operator who rarely sought the media spotlight, he was little known outside Hawaii and the halls of the Capitol. But his wartime record, for which he received the nation’s highest military award for valor, the Medal of Honor — coupled with his reputation for a bipartisan approach to politics — helped him gain respect and influence from colleagues of both parties in Washington.

[...]

His first wife, Margaret Awamura Inouye, died in 2006 after 56 years of marriage. In 2008, he married Irene Hirano, president and chief executive of the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. Besides his wife, survivors include a son from his first marriage, Daniel K. Inouye Jr.; a stepdaughter, Jennifer Hirano; and a granddaughter.