Daisy Christina

**Kyllikki** "**Daisy**" **Christina** (née **Makinen**; born September 22, 1941) is an American politician and educator serving as the senior U.S. Senator from Alaska since 2001. A member of the Republican Party, she served as Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Education from 1996 to 2001.

Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Christina moved to Alaska as a two-year-old after her father began working at an Alaskan fishery. Growing up in a working-class immigrant household, Christina graduated from high school in 1958. Afterwards, she moved to Washington to attend the University of Washington, graduating with a degree in history in 1962. After finishing her degree, Christina returned to Alaska and began working as a high school history teacher in Anchorage, Alaska. Christina received a master's degree from the University of Alaska Anchorage in 1975, and afterwards began working as a high school principal. She was promoted to superintendent of the Anchorage School District in 1992. Christina left the position in 1996, after beginning her political career.

Christina began her political career after being appointed Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Education by Governor John Edwards in 1996. As Commissioner, Christina oversaw the entire public school system in the state of Alaska. After Edwards won a second term in 2000, she remained in his cabinet as Commissioner. Following Paul Leo's death in 2001, Christina was appointed by Edwards to complete his term in the United States Senate. She was elected to a full six-year term in 2002, and was later reelected in 2008 and 2014.

In the U.S. Senate, Christina has established herself as a centrist and an important swing vote, commonly supporting both Republican and Democratic policies. A 2018 ranking listed her as the most bipartisan member of the Senate.

## Early life and family

Christina was born on September 22, 1941 in Minneapolis, Minnesota to parents Arvo (1905–1987) and Tuulikki Mäkinen (née *Kanniainen*; 1907–1994). Her parents immigrated to the United States from the region of Ostrobothnia in Finland. Her father is from Utajärvi, while her mother is from Taivalkoski. Arvo arrived in Minnesota in 1926, while Tuulikki arrived in Michigan in 1928. Tuulikki later moved to Minnesota in the 1930s, where she met Arvo; they married in 1936. In Minnesota, Arvo worked as a commercial fisherman on the Mississippi River, while Tuulikki worked at a textiles factory. Christina is the youngest of four daughters; her elder sisters include Karoliina "Karol" (1937–2018), Noora "Nora", born  (1938-12-13) December 13, 1938 (age 85), and Marjatta "Maria", born  (1940-05-17) May 17, 1940 (age 83). All of the children were given Finnish names, but adopted Anglicized nicknames. Christina began using the nickname "Daisy" when she was six years old, as friends and teachers had difficulty pronouncing her birth name Kyllikki.

## Education and teaching career

In 1944, Arvo left his job as a Minnesota fisherman and became eager to travel. The family left Minnesota and settled in Anchorage, Alaska, where Arvo began working at a local Alaskan fishery. Tuulikki struggled to find a job in Alaska, and instead settled as a housewife. The family struggled financially and the pressure of providing for an entire family drove Arvo to alcoholism. Christina attended public schooling in Anchorage. After skipping the second grade due to high academic achievement, she began high school at West Anchorage High School in 1954 and graduated in 1958. She went on to move to Seattle, Washington to attend the University of Washington. She graduated in 1962 with a degree in history. At the University of Washington, Christina joined the Kappa Delta (ΚΔ) sorority.

After graduating from college, Christina returned to Alaska and began working as a high school history teacher at East Anchorage High School. She later received a master's degree in education administration from the University of Alaska Anchorage in 1975. In 1979, she became the principal of Bartlett High School. Christina stayed in her position of school principal for several years, until becoming superintendent of the Anchorage School District in 1992. As superintendent, Christina oversaw the entire public school system of Anchorage. She left the position in 1996 to begin a political career.

## Political positions

*Main article: Political positions of Daisy Christina.*

## Personal life

Christina is a dual citizen of both the United States and Finland. She was raised speaking solely Finnish and did not learn English until beginning school as a five-year-old. Christina was raised in a Lutheran household, and still practices the religion. Throughout her career, she has been open about her aversion to alcohol, and has never had alcohol in her entire life.

Christina began a relationship with Alaskan oil businessman Daniel Christina in 1963. They became engaged after a year of dating, and later married in 1965. They have four children together: Danny, born  (1968-02-12) February 12, 1968 (age 55), Leslie, born  (1970-07-02) July 2, 1970 (age 53), and fraternal twins Kate and Emily, born  (1971-11-30) November 30, 1971 (age 52). Christina has called herself "a mother, a grandmother, and a great-grandmother". The family resided in the Hillside East neighborhood of Anchorage for several years. After her appointment to the Senate in 2001, the family purchased a six-bedroom home in Bethesda, Maryland, valued at $2.5 million.