Spark Matsunaga | |
|---|---|
 Matsunaga in 1986 | |
| United States Senator from Hawaii | |
| In office January 3, 1977 – April 15, 1990 | |
| Preceded by | Hiram Fong |
| Succeeded by | Daniel Akaka |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii | |
| In office January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1977 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Cecil Heftel |
| Constituency | At-large (1963–1971) 1st district (1971–1977) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Masayuki Matsunaga October 8, 1916 Kukuiula, Territory of Hawaii, U.S. |
| Died | April 15, 1990 (aged 73) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Resting place | National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Helene Matsunaga
(m. 1951) |
| Children | 5 |
| Education | University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (BA) Harvard University (LLB) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1941–1945 |
| Rank |  Captain |
| Unit | 442nd Regimental Combat Team 100th Infantry Battalion |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Spark Masayuki Matsunaga (October 8, 1916 – April 15, 1990) was an American politician and attorney who served as United States Senator for Hawaii from 1977 until his death in 1990. Matsunaga also represented Hawaii in the U.S. House of Representatives and served in the Hawaii territorial house of representatives. A member of the Democratic Party, Matsunaga introduced legislation that led to the creation of the United States Institute of Peace and to reparations to Japanese-American World War II detainees.