Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) will address about 2,000 graduating Law School students in the Smith Center Sunday.

He will also be awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree in recognition of his dedication to public service. Inouye graduated from the Law School in 1952 with a juris doctorate.

“Sen. Inouye is not only a distinguished alumnus, but a true American hero,” Law School Dean Frederick M. Lawrence said in a news release. “I am pleased he will have the opportunity to share with our students his commitment to public service, which for over a half a century, has been unparalleled.”

Inouye is the third-most senior U.S. Senator, and is the first person of Japanese descent elected to Congress, after being elected Hawaii’s first congressional representative in 1959. He is chairman of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

He also served in the U.S. Army during World War II, and is recognized as a highly decorated veteran, receiving the Medal of Honor in 2000.

Inouye previously spoke at GW Commencement in 1975 and 1987. He was a member of the GW Board of Trustees and received the Alumni Achievement Award in 1962.