Patrick Alan "Pat" Takasugi (June 9, 1949 – November 6, 2011) was an American politician who served as a member of the Idaho House of Representatives for the 10A district from 2008 to 2011.

Early life and education

Takasugi was born in

Brigham City, Utah Brigham City is a city in Box Elder County, Utah, United States. The population was 17,899 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Box Elder County. It lies on the western slope of the Wellsville Mountains, a branch of the Wasatch Range at ...

. After graduating from

Vallivue High School Vallivue High School is a four-year public secondary school in Caldwell, Idaho, United States, and one of two traditional high schools in the Vallivue School District. Opened in 1963, the school's campus is between Caldwell and Lake Lowell on th ...

, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the

College of Idaho The College of Idaho (C of I) is a private liberal arts college in Caldwell, Idaho. Founded in 1891, it is the state's oldest private liberal arts college and has an enrollment of over 1,000 students. The college's alumni include eight Rhode ...

in 1971.

Career

After graduation, then he enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. During his military service, he was assigned to an Airborne unit, the

Rangers A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...

, and the

Special Forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

, was elevated to the rank of captain, and he fulfilled his duty actively until 1976 and served as a reservist in additional five years. Returned to Idaho, he ran a farm near Wilder and Homedale, and served as the director of the Idaho Department of Agriculture. Celia Gould, a fellow Republican, succeeded him as director. Takasugi was a

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

delegate to the

2004 Republican National Convention The 2004 Republican National Convention took place from August 30 to September 2, 2004 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The convention is one of a series of historic quadrennial meetings at which the Republican candidates fo ...

Personal life

Takasugi was a

Japanese American are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 census, they have declined in number to constitute the sixth largest Asi ...

. He and his wife, Suzanne Backe, had three children. He died from pseudomyxoma peritonei, a rare form of

appendix cancer Appendix cancer are very rare cancers of the vermiform appendix. Gastrointestinal stromal tumors are rare tumors with malignant potential. Primary lymphomas can occur in the appendix. Breast cancer, colon cancer, and tumors of the female genital t ...

, while in office. He is buried at the Wilder Cemetery. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch delivered eulogies for him on the Senate floor.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Takasugi, Pat 1949 births 2011 deaths American politicians of Japanese descent Asian-American people in Idaho politics American military personnel of Japanese descent American farmers of Japanese descent Deaths from cancer in Idaho College of Idaho alumni Deaths from appendiceal cancer Farmers from Idaho Republican Party members of the Idaho House of Representatives Military personnel from Idaho Military personnel from Utah Members of the United States Army Special Forces People from Brigham City, Utah State agriculture commissioners in the United States State cabinet secretaries of Idaho United States Army officers United States Army Rangers United States Army reservists Asian conservatism in the United States Asian American and Pacific Islander state legislators