HONOLULU, Sept. 28 (UPI) -- Veteran Congresswoman Patsy Mink, 74, died of pneumonia Saturday, a week after winning the Democratic nomination for a 13th term representing Hawaii's 2nd Congressional District.
Mink had been hospitalized in intensive care at Honolulu's Straub Clinic since August 30 after contracting varicella-zoster, also known as chicken pox, which can lead to viral pneumonia in elderly patients, causing grave complications and fatal infections.
Sen. Daniel Akaka, who represents Hawaii, said Saturday night, "Patsy was a petite woman with a powerful voice and a peerless reputation as a champion for equal opportunity, civil rights and education."
Akaka said that in the course of her life, "Patsy was a pioneer, a trailblazer for women, workers, minorities, the poor and the powerless. She is one of the giants whose vision of hope and passion for justice led Hawaii to statehood."
Hawaii law allows Mink's name to remain on the ballot in the Nov. 5 election against Republican state lawmaker Bob McDermott. If she wins, a special election will be held to select a replacement.
Although Mink was in failing health, state Democrats had vowed this week to continue campaigning for Mink.
"If she's not re-elected, a Republican who stands for everything she's opposed to will be elected," Andrew Winer, director of the Democratic Party Coordinated Campaign, told the Honolulu Advertiser.
Mink was born Dec. 6, 1927 in the Maui seaside town of Paia and was seeking her 13th term in Congress. The Asian-American woman became, in 1975, the first non-Caucasian to be elected to Congress and served until 1977 when she lost a campaign for the Senate.
After practicing law and serving on the Honolulu City Council, the 1944 valedictorian from Maui High School was elected to the House again in 1990 to represent the district covering rural Oahu and the state's outer islands.
Mink served on the Government Reform and Education Committees in the House and was a longtime member of the Asian-Pacific Caucus.
"Representative Mink has been a tireless champion for Hawaii's people," Gov. Ben Cayetano had said in a statement Friday after it was reported that Mink's condition was deteriorating. "She is an incredible woman who has never backed down from what she believed to be right, no matter how controversial the issue. Her devotion and insight has improved the lives of not only Hawaii residents, but people across our nation."
Mink's husband, John, and daughter, Gwendolyn, a professor at Smith College, were at her side at the time of her death; funeral arrangements were pending.
(Reported by Hil Anderson in Los Angeles)
