Senator Spark M. Matsunaga Papers

Collection

Identifier: MANUSCRIPT-HCPC00001

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Approximately 1200 record center boxes of Senator Spark M. Matsunaga's papers were received by the University of Hawaii Library shortly after his death in 1990. The formal deed of gift was signed in October 1997. Between those two dates Matsunaga's longtime administrative assistant Cherry Matano organized some of the large amount of material left unfiled because of the Senator's unexpected death and the short time allowed for closing his Washington, D.C., office. She also created the “After” files (after his death), now in the Biography Subseries of the Personal Series. The bulk of the collection was processed from 1998 through 2004.

Matsunaga was a saver. His childhood, university days, U.S. Army experiences, service in the Hawaii Territorial Legislature, and the Congressional years are well represented here. The material was largely in good condition. Many paper clips, staples, and rubber bands had caused minor damage and were removed. Newspaper clippings were in bad condition; many were photocopied for retention and the originals discarded. Other discards included: multiples of speeches and press releases; two boxes of very moldy published books; several badly deteriorating films and audiotapes; applications for Matsunaga staff jobs and military academy appointments (because they contained sensitive personal information).

Bound sets of Congressional Record, US Code, Journals of the U.S. House and Senate, Hawaii Revised Statutes and other commonly available publications were discarded. Approximately 3000 published books were organized into broad categories and reviewed by subject specialist librarians for inclusion in the University of Hawaii Library's general collections. Those not selected were offered to libraries of other University of Hawaii campuses, then to libraries in the Pacific region. Bibliographic citations and disposition notes for all these books were compiled by library staff in the publication Senator Spark M. Matsunaga Library Collection, kept with the Matsunaga Papers in a 3-ring binder.

The papers have been organized into series, subseries, and sub-subseries (see Series List). The original boxes were well labeled and series were easily identifiable as were subseries and sub-subseries for the Congressional years. For pre-Congressional years, the papers were largely unorganized and unlabeled, requiring Archives staff to impose order and headings.

Matsunaga's office staff kept multiple copies of documents in many different files; no effort has been made to identify or remove such duplication. Many multiples of newsletters and speech transcripts were discarded; two copies, when available, were retained in the newsletter and speech files. Copies of the same items are also found in the Subject Series and elsewhere.

All of the papers are open for research, but since many files contain constituent case material, the Archives staff may redact documents out of concern for personal privacy.

For other research and biographical material related to Spark M. Matsunaga, please consult the University of Hawaii Library’s online catalog, the Index to the Honolulu Advertiser and the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, and papers of other members of Congress in the Hawaii Congressional Papers Collection and elsewhere. See also the “Artificial Files” of information about Matsunaga collected by the Archives staff, largely from 1997 onward.

Dates

Creation: 1916 - 1990
Creation: Majority of material found within 1963 - 1990
Event: Received
Event: Collated by Bron Solyom

Creator

Matsunaga, Spark M., 1916-1990 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Material with personal information may be redacted by the Archives staff. Some fragile items may need to be handled by the staff only. Use of audiovisual material may require the production of listening or viewing copies.

The Hawaiʻi Congressional Papers Collection is accessible in the University Archives and Manuscripts Department's John Troup Moir, Jr., and Gertrude M.F. Moir Archives Reading Room. For more information, please contact the Congressional Papers Archivist by email: archives@hawaii.edu, or phone: 808-956-6047.

Literary Rights Notice

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the University of Hawaii Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must be obtained by the user.

Biographical Note

Masayuki Matsunaga was born on the island of Kauai in 1916 to a modest farm family. After working his way through college and graduating in 1941, he volunteered for active duty in the U.S. Army. During World War II, he served in the famed 100th Infantry Battalion, was wounded twice, and was awarded the Bronze Star. After the war, he legally changed his first name to Spark, taken from his childhood nickname based on a cartoon character.

He earned a law degree from Harvard in 1951, was an assistant public prosecutor in Honolulu from 1952 to 1954, and served in the Hawaii Territorial Legislature from 1954-1959. His position as House Majority Leader in the last year enabled him to play a major role in securing statehood for Hawaii. From 1954-1962 he was also in private law practice.

In 1962 Matsunaga was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and was re-elected six times, serving through 1976. He was a powerful member of the influential Rules Committee; House Majority Leader Hale Boggs quipped, “It's getting to the point where you have to see Sparky Matsunaga to get a bill passed around here.” Using this committee experience, he co-authored the book Rulemakers of the House, published in 1976. He was Deputy Majority Whip from 1973-1976. Membership on the Agriculture Committee allowed him to be a leading force in the passage of the 1971 Sugar Act that greatly benefited Hawaii's sugar industry.

In 1976 Matsunaga was elected to the U.S. Senate and was Chief Deputy Whip for 12 of his 14 years there. He was instrumental in passing legislation for civil rights; reparations for Japanese Americans interned during World War II; space exploration; renewable energy resources; and peace, the latter resulting in the establishment of the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C. In 1986 his book The Mars Project: Journeys Beyond the Cold War was published. Senator Matsunaga's vote tipping the balance in electing Sen. Robert Byrd as majority leader, earned him membership on the Finance Committee and the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Biographical Chronology

Pre-Congress, 1916-1962

1916- Oct 8
: Born Kukuiula, Kauai, Hawaii; parents were plantation workers
1929 Jun 7
: Graduated from Eleele Elementary School, Kauai (skipped 4th grade)
1931 Jun 9
: Graduated from Waimea Junior High School, Kauai (skipped 7th grade)
1934 Jun 8
: Graduated from Kauai High School
1931-1937
: Worked as a stevedore and warehouseman, bookkeeper, sales clerk to help support his family
1937
: Enrolled at the University of Hawaii; Majored in Speech and Dramatics; Interclass debate championship team, varsity debate team; Medalist, forensics and oratory; Theatre Guild diction award; President, Sigma Lambda fraternity; Phi Kappa Phi, Pi Gamma Mu, Pi Sigma Alpha; Varsity cheerleader; 2 years of ROTC, cadet major and battalion commander 1940-1941
1938
: Wrote essay, "Let Us Teach Our People to Want Peace," for an English class
1941 Jun
: Graduated with Ed.B.; Commissioned 2nd Lieutenant, Infantry, U.S. Army Reserve
1941 Jun 27
: Volunteered for active service, was assigned to Company K, 299th Infantry, Molokai: executive officer and acting company commander
1942 Jun
: Promoted to 1st Lieutenant, assigned to 100th Infantry Battalion Separate
1942 Jun-1943 Sep
: 100th Infantry Battalion trained on the U.S. Mainland
1943 Sep 22
: 100th Infantry Battalion arrived at Salerno, Italy
1943 Fall
: Fought in the Naples-Foggia Campaign and Rome-Arno Campaign in which he was wounded twice in the Battle of Hill 600
1944 Apr
: Discharged from hospital after several months of recovery
1944 Apr-Aug
: Replacement depot command, North Africa and Italy, as Battalion training officer
1944 Oct-1945 Jun
: Military Intelligence Service Language School, Ft. Snelling, Minnesota. He gave over 800 speeches to civic groups on behalf of the War Relocation Authority, in order to persuade employers to hire Japanese Americans being released from detention camps. He also eloquently described the heroism and patriotism of the men of the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. For this work he received the Army commendation ribbon
1945 Spring
: Promoted to Captain
1945 Nov
: Awarded Bronze Star for exemplary conduct in ground combat, Rome-Arno campaign
1945 Dec 27
: Honorably discharged from active service
1946 Jan 19
: Legally changed his name from Masayuki Matsunaga to Spark Masayuki Matsunaga, Honolulu
1947
: Served on the board of the Pacific War Memorial, Honolulu
1948 Aug 6
: Married Helene Hatsumi Tokunaga; children Karen, Keene, Diane, Merle, Matthew
1948 Dec
: In John Kneubuhl's play in The City is Haunted, played part of "Bob," a post Commander of the Disabled American Veterans
1949-1951
: Harvard Law School
1950
: Testified before U.S. Congress as member of the Statehood Mission to Congress
1951
: Bachelor of Laws degree 1951 (Harvard changed title of degree in 1969 to Juris Docter)
1952
: Admitted to Hawaii Bar
1952-1954
: Assistant Public Prosecuter, City and County of Honolulu
1954
: Testified before Congress as member of the Statehood Delegation to Congress; Elected Representative from the 4th District to the Territorial Legislature; re-elected in 1956
1954-1962
: Private law practice
1957
: Hawaii abolished the death penalty with strong support from Matsunaga
1958
: Re-elected Representative from the 16th District to the Territorial Legislature
1958-1960
: Member, Committee on Ethics, Hawaii Bar Association, Appointed by the Supreme Court to Committee on Hawaii Rules of Criminal Procedures
1959
: Lost primary election for Lt. Governor of Hawaii
1960-1962
: Served on the Pacific War Memorial Commission

U.S. House, 1963-1976

1962
: Elected (D) at-large to U.S. House of Representatives (Hawaii had only one district)
1963
: Introduced legislation to establish a Poet Laureate of the U.S.
1963 Jun-1969 Aug
: Re-commissioned Lt. Col. (Res.) Judge Advocate General Corps, U.S. Army
1964
: Elected (D) to U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii's First District (after Hawaii was divided into two districts); re-elected in 1966, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1974; Began tradition of treating visiting constituents to lunch in the House dining room, a tradition he continued in the Senate dining room
1967
: Appointed to the powerful House Rules Committee
1971
: Introduced the bill repealing Title II of the Internal Security act that retroactively legalized the internment of 110,000 Japanese Americans during WWII
1971-1972
: Introduced legislation to establish ethnic studies programs in American universities in order to combat racism and promote a harmonious population
1973
: Appointed Deputy Majority Whip; Introduced legislation that repealed the "coolie" trade laws
1976
: Publication, with co-author Ping Chen, of rules of the House (University of Illinois Press); Urged pardon of Iva Toguri "Tokyo Rose"; President Gerald Ford granted it in 1977

U.S. Senate, 1977-1990

1976
: Elected (D) to U.S. Senate with 54 percent of the vote; re-elected in 1980 and in 1986 with 80 percent of the vote; Appointed Chief Deputy Whip and held the position for 12 years
1977
: Cast deciding vote in favor of Sen. Robert Byrd as majority leader
1980
: Chairman, Commission for a national Academy of Peace and Conflict Resolution, resulting in U.S. institute of peace, 1984; Supported and sponsored legislation for space exploration and the use of non-nuclear, alternative energy
1984
: Heart Attack
1985
: Position of Poet Laureate of the United States established after his persistent efforts
1986
: Publication of The Mars Project; Journeys Beyond the Cold War (Hill and Wang); Received B'Nai Brith International Peace Year Award
1988
: Diagnosed with prostate cancer
1988 Aug 10
: Redress for Japanese Americans interned during WWII signed into law after many years of effort by Matsunaga and others. He considered this his culminating achievement
1990 Apr 3
: In a wheelchair, cast his last Senate vote with a "thumbs up" gesture because he was too weak to speak
1990 Apr 15
: Died in Toronto, Canada, where he was undergoing treatment
1990 Apr 16
: Lying in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda
1990 Apr 17-18
: Lying in state at the Hawaii State Capitol
1990 Apr 19
: Funeral service, Central Union Church, Honolulu
1990 Apr 20
: Cremation and burial at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl)

Named after Spark Matsunaga

Named after Spark Matsunaga:

-Spark M. Matsunaga $10,000 U.S. Treasury I-Bond

-Spark M. Matsunaga Children's Media Center for the Storybook Theatre of Hawaii, Kauai

-Spark M. Matsunaga Elementary School, Germantown, Maryland

-Spark M. Matsunaga Fellow in Renewable Research, Hawaiian Electric Company

-Spark M. Matsunaga Hydrogen Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 1990

-Spark M. Matsunaga Institute for Peace, University of Hawaii at Manoa

-Spark M. Matsunaga Medal of Peace

-Spark M. Matsunaga Peace Foundation (Formerly Pacific Peace Foundation)

-Matsunaga-Conte Prostate Cancer Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas

-Spark M. Matsunaga Veterans Affairs Medical and Regional Office Center, Honolulu

Extent

908 Linear Feet

Language

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Spark Matsunaga (1916-1990) was a member of Congress from Hawaii, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives (1963-1976) and the U.S. Senate (1977-1990). He started his political career as an assistant public prosecutor in Honolulu (1952-1954), was a Representative in the Territory of Hawaii Legislature (1954-1959), worked tirelessly for Hawaii statehood, and was also a lawyer in private practice. He served in the U.S. Army, in the famed 100th Infantry Battalion during WWII, receiving the Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts. He married Helene Hatsumi Tokunaga in 1948 and had five children.

The bulk of the collection is from Matsunaga’s years in Congress and includes correspondence, photographs, audiovisual items, and memorabilia. The largest parts of this material concern Congressional activity supporting his strong interest in peace, space exploration, veterans, transportation, taxation, health, natural resources and civil rights, especially redress for Japanese Americans interned in WWII. His legendary hosting of constituents in Congressional dining rooms is shown in many invoices and guest lists. His staff kept detailed information on his schedules, appointments and travels.

Matsunaga enjoyed public speaking and the collection has copies of his many speeches. There are files on the two books he wrote, Rulemakers of the House and The Mars Project. His personal life is well represented in documents, photographs, and memorabilia from childhood, years at the University of Hawaii and Harvard Law School, election campaigns, and hobbies such as playing the harmonica and writing poetry. Of interest are: some amateur phonodiscs of Matsunaga, family members and friends singing and reciting poetry; collections of his poetry, jokes, and philosophical thoughts; tax returns; and files of the many organizations he belonged to. There is a large collection of tributes and other material gathered by family and staff after he died.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated by Sen. Matsunaga’s widow, Helene T. Matsunaga, of Kensington, Maryland, Oct. 28, 1997. (She later returned to Hawaii, and died on Sept. 25, 2004.)

Related Materials

Moving image material from this collection was transferred to ʻUluʻulu: The Henry Kuʻualoha Giugni Moving Image Archive of Hawaiʻi in 2021.

Condition Description

Most in acidic records boxes; most in good condition; some split; little evidence of moisture or mold. a few wooden crates; in good condition

Diacritical Note

A note on Hawaiian language orthography: Diacritical marks are currently widely used in written Hawaiian, but were not often used during Sen. Matsunaga's lifetime. They are rarely found in the papers and have not been included on folder titles, labels and other material.