Helen Takahashi

**Helen Takahashi** (born July 30, 1948) is an American politician and activist serving as the senior U.S. Senator from Hawaii since 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as a member of the Hawaii Senate, representing the 11th district, from 2001 to 2005.

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii to a Japanese-American family, Takahashi graduated from Punahou School in 1965. She later moved to Berkeley, California and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with dual degrees in women's studies and sociology in 1969, and subsequently returned to Hawaii. After returning to Hawaii, she received a master's degree in sociology from University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1975. Upon her return to Hawaii from California, Takahashi began working at Honolulu-based nongovernmental organizations advocating for the rights of women. In 1983, she founded the Hawaiian Women's Association (HWA), a non-profit organization and political advocacy group dedicated to advancing the rights of women in Hawaii, the United States, and internationally. She served as president of the organization until beginning her political career in 2001.

Takahashi began her political career in 2000, announcing her campaign for Hawaii Senate, representing the 11th district. She went on to win the election, and served for one-term. In 2003, she announced her campaign for United States Senate. After winning a closely contested Democratic primary, she easily won the general election and was sworn into office on January 3, 2005.

## Early life and family

Takahashi was born on July 30, 1948 in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii to parents Ichiro Takahashi (1918–2013) and Reika Ishikawa (born 1920). She comes from a Japanese-American family, with all of Takahashi's grandparents immigrating to Hawaii from Japan in the early-1910s. Ichiro worked as a dermatologist, while Reika was a secretary active in politics and women's rights. Takahashi has stated that her mother is the reason why she became interested in politics at a young age. She was raised bilingually, speaking both English and Japanese, and grew up in the Diamond Head neighborhood of Honolulu. Takahashi is the youngest of three children; her elder brothers include Andrew, born  (1945-06-12) June 12, 1945 (age 78), and Michael, born  (1946-12-14) December 14, 1946 (age 77).

## Education and early career

Takahashi attended private schooling growing up. She began her education in 1954, attending Punahou School, an independent coeducational K–12 school. A high academic achiever, Takahashi skipped the sixth grade and began high school at Punahou in 1961. In high school, Takahashi was an honors student and competitive dancer. She graduated from high school in 1965, and later moved to Berkeley, California to attend the University of California, Berkeley. Takahashi graduated from UC Berkeley in 1969, with dual degrees in women's studies and sociology.

After finishing her undergraduate degree, Takahashi returned to Honolulu and began working for the ACLU of Hawaii. She later enrolled in the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1972, and went on to receive a bachelor's degree in sociology in 1975. In 1983, she founded the Hawaiian Women's Association (HWA), a non-profit organization and political advocacy group dedicated to advancing the rights of women in Hawaii, the United States, and internationally. She served as president of the organization until beginning her political career in 2001.

## Political positions

*Main article: Political positions of Helen Takahashi.*

## Personal life

Takahashi began dating advertising executive Ken Tam in 1974. They became engaged in 1978, and married the following year. Takahashi and Tam have three children together: Celina, born  (1978-04-02) April 2, 1978 (age 45), Elle, born  (1980-06-30) June 30, 1980 (age 43), and Shaun, born  (1981-10-03) October 3, 1981 (age 42).

After their marriage, Takahashi and Tam purchased a four-bedroom home in the Manoa neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii. After her election to United States Senate in 2005, they purchased a two-bedroom townhouse in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C.