List of Asian Americans in the United States Congress

Map of congressional districts currently represented by Asian Americans.

This is a list of Asian Americans in the U.S. Congress. As of 2016, there are 11 representatives and 1 senator of Asian-American descent who are incumbent in Congress. Since 1957, 30 representatives and 7 senators of Asian-American descent have been elected to office. Among 3 states, Hawaii was the first state to send an Asian-American to the Senate (1959) and Nevada is the newest state to elect a senator of similar descent (2001); while among 10 states, California was the first state to elect an Asian-American to the House (1957) and New York is the newest (2013). 1 Asian-American woman has been elected to the Senate (who is currently incumbent and represents Hawaii), and 9 have been elected to the House from 4 states (of whom 5 are currently incumbent).

Senate

Picture Senator State Party Term Reason for leaving
Hiram Fong
(1906-2004)
[1]
Hawaii Republican 1959–1977 Retired
Daniel Inouye
(1924-2012)
[2]
Hawaii Democrat 1963–2012 Died in office
Samuel I. Hayakawa
(1906-1992)
California Republican 1977–1983 Retired
Spark Matsunaga
(1916-1990)
Hawaii Democrat 1977–1990 Died in office
Daniel Akaka
(b. 1924)
[3]
Hawaii Democrat 1990–2013 Retired
John Ensign
(b. 1958)
Nevada Republican 2001–2011 Resigned
Mazie Hirono
(b. 1947)
[4]
Hawaii Democrat 2013–present

House of Representatives

Picture Representative State Party Term Reason for leaving
Dalip Singh Saund
(1899-1973)
[5]
California Democratic 1957–1963 Defeated
Daniel Inouye
(1924-2012)
[2]
Hawaii Democratic 1959–1963 Retired to successfully run for United States Senate election in Hawaii, 1962
Spark Matsunaga
(1916-1990)
Hawaii Democratic 1963–1977 Retired to successfully run for United States Senate election in Hawaii, 1976
Patsy Mink
(1927-2002)
[6]
Hawaii Democratic 1965–1977
1990–2002
Retired to unsuccessfully run for United States Senate election in Hawaii, 1976 & Died in Office
Norman Mineta
(b. 1931)
California Democratic 1975–1995 Retired
Daniel Akaka
(b. 1924)
[3]
Hawaii Democratic 1977–1990 Retired to successfully run for United States Senate special election in Hawaii, 1990
Bob Matsui
(1941-2005)
California Democratic 1979–2005 Died in Office
Mervyn M. Dymally
(1926-2012)
[7]
California Democratic 1981–1993 Retired
Patricia Saiki
(b. 1930)
Hawaii Republican 1987–1991 Retired to unsuccessfully run for United States Senate special election in Hawaii, 1990
Jay Kim
(b. 1939)
[8]
California Republican 1993–1999 Lost renomination
Robert C. Scott
(b. 1947)
[9]
Virginia Democratic 1993–present
John Ensign
(b. 1958)
Nevada Republican 1995–1999 Retired to unsuccessfully run for United States Senate election in Nevada, 1998 was elected United States Senate election in Nevada, 2000
David Wu
(b. 1955)
[10]
Oregon Democratic 1999–2011 Resigned
Mike Honda
(b. 1941)
California Democratic 2001–present
Bobby Jindal
(b. 1971)
Louisiana Republican 2005–2008 Resigned to successfully run for Louisiana gubernatorial election, 2007
Doris Matsui
(b. 1944)
California Democratic 2005–present
Mazie Hirono
(b. 1947)
[11]
Hawaii Democratic 2007–2013 Retired to successfully run for the United States Senate election in Hawaii, 2012
Steve Austria
(b. 1958)
Ohio Republican 2009–2013 Retired
Anh "Joseph" Cao
(b. 1967)
[12]
Louisiana Republican 2009–2011 Defeated
Judy Chu
(b. 1953)
[13]
California Democratic 2009–present
Charles Djou
(b. 1970)
[14]
Hawaii Republican 2010–2011 Defeated
Colleen Hanabusa
(b. 1951)
Hawaii Democratic 2011–2015 Retired to unsuccessfully run for the United States Senate special election in Hawaii, 2014
Hansen Clarke
(b. 1957)
[15]
Michigan Democratic 2011–2013 Lost renomination
Ami Bera
(b. 1965)
California Democratic 2013–present
Tammy Duckworth
(b. 1968)
[16]
Illinois Democratic 2013–present
Tulsi Gabbard
(b. 1981)
[17]
Hawaii Democratic 2013–present
Grace Meng
(b. 1975)
New York Democratic 2013–present
Mark Takano
(b. 1960)
[18]
California Democratic 2013–present
Ted Lieu
(b. 1969)
California Democratic 2015–present
Mark Takai
(b. 1967)
Hawaii Democratic 2015–present

Delegates in the House (non-voting members)

Picture Delegate Territory Party Term Reason for leaving
Antonio Borja Won Pat
(1908-1987)
Guam Democratic 1973–1985 Defeated

Resident Commissioners in the House (non-voting members)

Philippines

Resident Commissioners were representatives from the Philippines, then an American territory.[19][20][21] They were U.S. nationals and not citizens of the United States.[22]

Era of Insular Government
Congress Resident Commissioner 1 Resident Commissioner 2
60th (1907–1909) Benito Legarda y Tuason Pablo Ocampo[23]
61st (1909–1911)
Manuel L. Quezon (N)
62nd (1911–1913)
63rd (1913–1915) Manuel Earnshaw
64th (1915–1917)
65th (1917–1919) Jaime C. De Veyra (N) Teodoro R. Yangco
66th (1919–1921)
Isauro Gabaldon (N)
67th (1921–1923)
68th (1923–1925) Pedro Guevara (N)
69th (1925–1927)
70th (1927–1929)
71st (1929–1931) Camilo Osías (N)
72nd (1931–1933)
73rd (1933–1935)
74th (1935–1937) Francisco A. Delgado (N)
Commonwealth era
Congress Resident Commissioner 1
74th (1935–1937) Quintin Paredes (N)
75th (1937–1939)
Joaquín Miguel Elizalde
76th (1939–1941)
77th (1941–1943)
78th (1943–1945)
Carlos Peña Romulo (L)
79th (1945–1947)

Notes

  1. First Asian Pacific American elected to the Senate and first American of Chinese ancestry elected to Congress, for the predecessors and successors of each Asian Pacific American Representative's/Delegate's district or Senator with their date of birth and death, click on the U.S. representative/delegate or senator, for the number of congresses, click on the congress.
  2. 1 2 First Japanese American elected to Congress.
  3. 1 2 First Native Hawaiian elected to Congress.
  4. First Asian American woman and first Buddhist elected to the Senate.
  5. First person of Indian ancestry elected to Congress, for the predecessors and successors of each Asian Pacific American Representative's/Delegate's district, click on the U.S. representative/delegate, for the number of congresses, click on the congress.
  6. First Asian American woman elected to Congress.
  7. First Indo-Trinidadian elected to Congress.
  8. First person of Korean ancestry elected to Congress.
  9. First American born Filipino and Multiracial American elected to Congress.
  10. First Taiwanese American elected to Congress.
  11. One of the first two Buddhists elected to Congress
  12. First person of Vietnamese ancestry elected to Congress.
  13. First Chinese American woman elected to Congress
  14. First Thai American elected to Congress
  15. First person of Bangladeshi ancestry elected to Congress
  16. First disabled woman and first Thai American woman elected to Congress
  17. First Hindu, and woman of Pacific Islander ancestry elected to Congress
  18. First openly gay person of color elected to Congress
  19. "Map Layer Info". National Atlas of the United States. United States Department of the Interior. 23 July 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2012. The Philippines became a territory of the United States after the Spanish–American War.
  20. Berhow, Mark (2012). American Defenses of Corregidor and Manila Bay 1898-1945. Osprey Publishing. p. 6. ISBN 9781782004356. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  21. Pyong Gap, Min, ed. (2005). Asian Americans: Contemporary Trends and Issues. Pine Forge Press. p. 183. ISBN 9781412905565. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  22. M. Licudine v. D. Winter, JR 1086, p. 5 (U.S. District Court for D.C. 2008) (“"[f]rom the time the United States obtained dominion over the Philippines in 1899 until it granted independence to the islands in 1946, [the United States] Congress classified natives of the Philippines as Philippine citizens, as non-citizen United States nationals, and as aliens, but never as United States citizens."”).
  23. "OCAMPO, Pablo, (1853 - 1925)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved 9 July 2013.

References

See also

  1. "Rise of the Wahine Documentary Film".
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