Daniel Ken "Dan" Inouye (pronounced /ɨˈnoʊweɪ/; September 7, 1924 – December 17, 2012) was a Medal of Honor recipient and a United States Senator from Hawaii, a member of the Democratic Party, and the President pro tempore of the United States Senate from 2010 until his death in 2012,[3] making him the highest-ranking Asian American politician in U.S. history.[4] Inouye was the chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations.