American lawyer and politician from Hawaii and a third generation Japanese American.

In 1956 Patsy was the only woman in the territorial house of representatives from Hawaii (which became a state in 1959). In 1964 Patsy became the first woman of color and the first Asian American elected to congress. Mink was a champion of human rights and of non-discrimination in the 1960’s. She introduced the Early Childhood Education Act, co-authored Title Nine in 1972 (for equal opportunity in education), co-sponsored the Dream Act, and opposed the creation of the Department of Homeland Security under the notion that it could impede civil liberties. Later in Mink’s career, she served as secretary of the House Democratic Caucus and co-founded the Congressional Pacific American Caucus in 1994.