PoliticalGraveyard.com
The Political Graveyard: A Database of American History
Asian/Pacific ancestry Politicians in California

  Jeff Adachi (b. 1959) — of San Francisco, Calif. Born in Sacramento, Sacramento County, Calif., August 29, 1959. Democrat. Lawyer; San Francisco Public Defender; writer, director, and producer of two film documentaries, The Slanted Screen (2006), and You Don't Know Jack: The Jack Soo Story (2009); candidate for mayor of San Francisco, Calif., 2011. Japanese ancestry. Member, American Bar Association. Still living as of 2011.
  See also Wikipedia article — Internet Movie Database profile
  Amerish Babulal Bera (b. 1965) — also known as Ami Bera — of Elk Grove, Sacramento County, Calif. Born in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, Calif., March 2, 1965. Democrat. Physician; U.S. Representative from California 7th District, 2013-; defeated, 2010. Unitarian-Universalist. Indian subcontinent ancestry. Still living as of 2018.
  Relatives: Son of Babulal Bera and Kanta Bera; married to Janine Vivienne Bera.
  See also congressional biography — Wikipedia article
  Sumiko Biderman (1924-2009) — also known as Su Biderman; Sumiko Fujii — of McLean, Fairfax County, Va. Born in Hayward, Alameda County, Calif., June 10, 1924. Democrat. Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Virginia, 1996, 2000 (alternate). Female. Japanese ancestry. Died, of postobstructive pneumonia, in Virginia Hospital Center, Arlington, Arlington County, Va., March 2, 2009 (age 84 years, 265 days). Burial location unknown.
  Relatives: Daughter of Rutaro Fujii; married 1948 to Albert D. Biderman.
  Elaine Lan Chao (b. 1953) — also known as Elaine L. Chao — of Lake Forest, Orange County, Calif. Born in Taipei, Taiwan, March 26, 1953. Republican. Chairwoman, Federal Maritime Commission, 1989-90; director, Peace Corps, 1991-92; president and CEO, United Way of America, 1992-96; delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 1992; U.S. Secretary of Labor, 2001-09; U.S. Secretary of Transportation, 2017-. Female. Chinese ancestry. Still living as of 2018.
  Relatives: Daughter of James S. C. Chao and Ruth mu-lan (Chu) Chao; married to Addison Mitchell McConnell Jr..
  See also Wikipedia article — NNDB dossier — Internet Movie Database profile
  Edward Milton Chen (b. 1953) — also known as Edward M. Chen — Born in Oakland, Alameda County, Calif., 1953. U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of California, 2011-. Chinese ancestry. Still living as of 2017.
  See also federal judicial profile — Wikipedia article — Biographical Directory of Federal Judges
  Vince Girdhari Chhabria (b. 1969) — of Corte Madera, Marin County, Calif. Born in San Francisco, Calif., 1969. U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of California, 2014-. Indian subcontinent ancestry. Still living as of 2017.
  See also federal judicial profile — Wikipedia article — Biographical Directory of Federal Judges
  David Chiu (b. 1970) — of San Francisco, Calif. Born in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, April 2, 1970. Democrat. Lawyer; Democratic Counsel, U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee; aide to U.S. Sen. Paul Simon; founder and chief operating officer, Grassroots Enterprise (online communications company); member, San Francisco Board of Supervisors, 2008-; candidate for mayor of San Francisco, Calif., 2011. Taiwanese ancestry. Still living as of 2011.
  See also Wikipedia article
  John Q. Duong — of Irvine, Orange County, Calif. Candidate for mayor of Irvine, Calif., 2006. Asian/Pacific ancestry. Still living as of 2006.
  John Eric Ensign (b. 1958) — also known as John E. Ensign — of Las Vegas, Clark County, Nev. Born in Roseville, Placer County, Calif., March 25, 1958. Republican. Veterinarian; hotel and casino manager; U.S. Representative from Nevada 1st District, 1995-99; U.S. Senator from Nevada, 2001-; defeated, 1998; delegate to Republican National Convention from Nevada, 2008. Pentecostal. Italian, German, and Filipino ancestry. In June 2009, he admitted to an extramarital affair with Cindy Hampton, a member of his campaign staff and the wife of his Senate aide Doug Hampton. In an unsuccessful attempt to keep the Hamptons quiet about the affair, he gave them $96,000 (an illegally undisclosed severance payment) through his parents. He also used his influence to set up Jeff Hampton as a lobbyist, in violation of laws restricting lobbying by former congressional aides. A grand jury investigation is in progress. Still living as of 2014.
  Relatives: Adoptive son of Michael S. Ensign; son of Sharon Lee Cipriani.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article — NNDB dossier
  March Fong Eu (1922-2017) — also known as March Kong; March K. Fong — of Oakland, Alameda County, Calif.; Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, Calif. Born in Oakdale, Stanislaus County, Calif., March 29, 1922. Democrat. Dental hygenist; supervisor of dental health education, Alameda County; member of California state assembly 15th District, 1967-74; delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1968, 1988; secretary of state of California, 1975-94; resigned 1994; defeated, 2002; U.S. Ambassador to Micronesia, 1994-96. Female. Chinese ancestry. Member, Delta Kappa Gamma. Died, following a fall, in Irvine, Orange County, Calif., December 21, 2017 (age 95 years, 267 days). The California Secretary of State building in Sacramento is named for her. Cremated; ashes interred at Mountain View Cemetery, Oakland, Calif.
  Relatives: Daughter of Yuen Kong and Shin (Shee) Kong; married to Chester Fong and Henry Eu; adoptive mother of Matthew Kipling Fong.
  The March Fong Eu Secretary of State Building, Sacramento, California, is named for her.
  See also Wikipedia article — U.S. State Dept career summary — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Matthew Kipling Fong (1953-2011) — also known as Matt Fong — of Long Beach, Los Angeles County, Calif. Born in Alameda, Alameda County, Calif., November 20, 1953. Republican. Lawyer; candidate for California state controller, 1990; California state treasurer, 1995-99; candidate for U.S. Senator from California, 1998; alternate delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 2008. Chinese ancestry. Died, from cancer, in Pasadena, Los Angeles County, Calif., June 1, 2011 (age 57 years, 193 days). Interment at U.S. Air Force Academy Cemetery, Colorado Springs, Colo.
  Relatives: Adoptive son of March Fong Eu; married to Paula Lee.
  See also NNDB dossier — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Kimiko Fujii — of Hayward, Alameda County, Calif. Democrat. Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1964. Female. Japanese ancestry. Still living as of 1964.
  Kamala Devi Harris (b. 1964) — also known as Kamala D. Harris — of San Francisco, Calif. Born in Oakland, Alameda County, Calif., October 20, 1964. Democrat. Lawyer; delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 2008 (member, Platform Committee); California state attorney general, 2011-17; U.S. Senator from California, 2017-21; candidate for Democratic nomination for President, 2020; Vice President of the United States, 2021-. Female. African and Indian subcontinent ancestry. First woman, and first person of Asian or African descent, to be Vice-President of the United States. Still living as of 2021.
  Relatives: Married, August 22, 2014, to Douglas Craig Emhoff.
  See also Wikipedia article — Ballotpedia article
  Samuel Ichiye Hayakawa (1906-1992) — also known as S. I. Hayakawa — of California. Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, July 18, 1906. Republican. U.S. Senator from California, 1977-83. Japanese ancestry. Died in Greenbrae, Marin County, Calif., February 27, 1992 (age 85 years, 224 days). Cremated; ashes scattered in North Pacific Ocean.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article — NNDB dossier — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Nhut Ho (born c.1940) — of San Jose, Santa Clara County, Calif. Born about 1940. Republican. Insurance business; delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 2004. Vietnamese ancestry. Still living as of 2005.
  David Kawananakoa (1868-1908) — also known as David La'amea Kahalepouli Kinoiki Kawananakoa — Born in Honolulu, Island of Oahu, Honolulu County, Hawaii, February 19, 1868. Democrat. Prince of the Kingdom of Hawaii; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Hawaii Territory, 1900. Hawaiian ancestry. Died, from pneumonia, at Hotel Stewart, San Francisco, Calif., June 2, 1908 (age 40 years, 104 days). Entombed at Royal Mausoleum, Honolulu, Island of Oahu, Hawaii.
  Relatives: Son of Victoria Kuhio Kinoiki Kekaulike and David Kahalepouli Pi'ikoi; brother of Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole; married, January 6, 1902, to Abigail Campbell Kawananakoa.
  Political family: Kawananakoa family of Honolulu, Hawaii.
  See also Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Jay C. Kim (b. 1939) — also known as Chang-Jun Kim — of Diamond Bar, Los Angeles County, Calif. Born in Seoul, South Korea, March 27, 1939. Republican. U.S. Representative from California 41st District, 1993-99; defeated in primary, 1998 (41st District), 2000 (42nd District). Methodist. Korean ancestry. Pleaded guilty in 1997 to a misdemeanor charge of accepting more than $250,000 in illegal campaign contributions; sentenced to two months of home detention. Still living as of 2014.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article — NNDB dossier
  Joon Kim (b. 1971) — of New York. Born in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, Calif., May 26, 1971. Lawyer; U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, 2017-18. Korean ancestry. Member, Phi Beta Kappa. Still living as of 2018.
  See also Wikipedia article
  Edwin Mah Lee (b. 1952) — also known as Ed Lee — of San Francisco, Calif. Born in Seattle, King County, Wash., May 5, 1952. Democrat. Lawyer; San Francisco City Administrator, 2005-11; mayor of San Francisco, Calif., 2011-; appointed 2011. Chinese ancestry. Still living as of 2014.
  Relatives: Son of Gok Suey Lee.
  See also Wikipedia article — NNDB dossier
  Syed Riffat Mahmood (b. 1944) — also known as Syed R. Mahmood — of Union City, Alameda County, Calif. Born in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, May 3, 1944. Republican. Naturalized U.S. citizen; delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 2000; candidate for California state assembly 18th District, 2000; candidate for U.S. Representative from California 13th District, 2002. Muslim. Indian subcontinent ancestry. Still living as of 2002.
  Doris Okada Matsui (b. 1944) — also known as Doris O. Matsui; Doris Kazue Okada — of Sacramento, Sacramento County, Calif. Born in Poston, La Paz County, Ariz., September 25, 1944. Democrat. U.S. Representative from California, 2005-18 (5th District 2005-13, 6th District 2013-18); delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 2008 (Parliamentarian). Female. Japanese ancestry. Still living as of 2018.
  Relatives: Married, September 17, 1966, to Robert Takeo Matsui.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article — NNDB dossier
  Robert Takeo Matsui (1941-2005) — also known as Robert T. Matsui — of Sacramento, Sacramento County, Calif. Born in Sacramento, Sacramento County, Calif., September 17, 1941. Democrat. Lawyer; U.S. Representative from California, 1979-2005 (3rd District 1979-93, 5th District 1993-2005); died in office 2005; delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1988 (speaker), 1996, 2000, 2004. Methodist. Japanese ancestry. Member, Rotary; Council on Foreign Relations. Died, of pneumonia and myelodysplastic syndrome, in Bethesda Naval Hospital, Bethesda, Montgomery County, Md., January 1, 2005 (age 63 years, 106 days). Interment at East Lawn Memorial Park, Sacramento, Calif.
  Relatives: Son of Yasuji Matsui and Alice (Nagata) Matsui; married, September 17, 1966, to Doris Kazue Okada.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — NNDB dossier — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Norman Yoshio Mineta (b. 1931) — also known as Norman Y. Mineta; Norm Mineta — of San Jose, Santa Clara County, Calif. Born in San Jose, Santa Clara County, Calif., November 12, 1931. Democrat. Insurance business; mayor of San Jose, Calif., 1971-74; delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1972 (alternate), 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988 (Co-Chair; speaker), 2000; U.S. Representative from California, 1975-95 (13th District 1975-93, 15th District 1993-95); resigned 1995; U.S. Secretary of Commerce, 2000-01; U.S. Secretary of Transportation, 2001-06. Methodist. Japanese ancestry. Still living as of 2019.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article — NNDB dossier
  Alan S. Nakanishi — of Lodi, San Joaquin County, Calif. Republican. Physician; mayor of Lodi, Calif., 2000-01; member of California state assembly 10th District, 2002-. Japanese ancestry. Still living as of 2008.
  See also Wikipedia article
  Dana Makoto Sabraw (b. 1958) — Born in San Rafael, Marin County, Calif., 1958. U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of California, 2003-. Japanese ancestry. Still living as of 2017.
  See also federal judicial profile — Wikipedia article — Biographical Directory of Federal Judges
  Eunice Noda Sato (b. 1921) — also known as Eunice N. Sato; Eunice Noda — of Long Beach, Los Angeles County, Calif. Born in Livingston, Merced County, Calif., June 8, 1921. Republican. School teacher; missionary; candidate in primary for California state senate 31st District, 1979; mayor of Long Beach, Calif., 1980-82; candidate for U.S. Representative from California 31st District, 1990. Female. Methodist. Japanese ancestry. Still living as of 2009.
  Relatives: Daughter of Bunsaku Noda and Sawa (Maeda) Noda; married, December 9, 1950, to Thomas Takashi Sato.
  Dalip Singh Saund (1899-1973) — also known as D. S. Saund — of Westmorland, Imperial County, Calif. Born in Amritsar, Punjab, India, September 20, 1899. Democrat. Naturalized U.S. citizen; farmer; fertilizer dealer; state court judge in California, 1952-57; delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1956 (alternate), 1960; U.S. Representative from California 29th District, 1957-63. Indian subcontinent ancestry. Member, Lions; Toastmasters. First native of India to be elected to a U.S. public office. Died in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, Calif., April 22, 1973 (age 73 years, 214 days). Cremated; ashes interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, Calif.
  Relatives: Son of Natha Singh Saund and Jeoni (Kaur) Saund; married, July 21, 1928, to Marian Z. Kosa.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Mark A. Takano (b. 1960) — of Riverside, Riverside County, Calif. Born in Riverside, Riverside County, Calif., December 10, 1960. Democrat. School teacher; delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1996, 2004, 2008; U.S. Representative from California 41st District, 2013-; defeated, 1992, 1994. Japanese ancestry. Gay. Still living as of 2018.
  See also congressional biography — Wikipedia article
  Naoyuki Takasugi — also known as Nao Takasugi — of Oxnard, Ventura County, Calif. Mayor of Oxnard, Calif., 1982-92; member of California state assembly, 1993-98. Asian/Pacific ancestry. Still living as of 1998.
  Robert Mitsuhiro Takasugi (1930-2009) — Born in Tacoma, Pierce County, Wash., September 12, 1930. Lawyer; municipal judge in California, 1973-75; superior court judge in California, 1975-76; U.S. District Judge for the Central District of California, 1976-96; took senior status 1996. Japanese ancestry. Died in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, Calif., August 4, 2009 (age 78 years, 326 days). Burial location unknown.
  See also federal judicial profile — Wikipedia article — Biographical Directory of Federal Judges
  Indira Talwani (b. 1960) — of San Francisco, Calif.; Boston, Suffolk County, Mass. Born in Englewood, Bergen County, N.J., October 6, 1960. Lawyer; U.S. District Judge for Massachusetts, 2014-. Female. Indian subcontinent ancestry. Member, Order of the Coif. Still living as of 2021.
  See also Wikipedia article — Ballotpedia article — Biographical Directory of Federal Judges
  Atsushi Wallace Tashima (b. 1934) — also known as A. Wallace Tashima — Born in Santa Maria, Santa Barbara County, Calif., June 24, 1934. Lawyer; U.S. District Judge for the Central District of California, 1980-96; Judge of U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, 1996-2004; took senior status 2004. Japanese ancestry. Still living as of 2004.
  See also Ballotpedia article — Biographical Directory of Federal Judges
  Phil Ting — of San Francisco, Calif. Democrat. Assessor-Recorder, City and County of San Francisco, 2005; member, Credentials Committee, Democratic National Convention, 2008 ; candidate for mayor of San Francisco, Calif., 2011. Chinese ancestry. Still living as of 2011.
  Relatives: Married to Susan Sun.
  See also Wikipedia article
  Maeley Lock Tom (b. 1941) — also known as Maeley L. Tom — of Sacramento, Sacramento County, Calif. Born in San Francisco, Calif., December 10, 1941. Democrat. Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1988, 1996, 2000; candidate for Presidential Elector for California. Female. Chinese ancestry. Still living as of 2012.
  Van Thai Tran (b. 1964) — also known as Van Tran — of Garden Grove, Orange County, Calif.; Costa Mesa, Orange County, Calif. Born in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam, October 19, 1964. Republican. Member of California state assembly 68th District, 2005-; delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 2008. Vietnamese ancestry. Still living as of 2008.
  Relatives: Married, November 20, 2004, to Cyndi Nguyen.
  See also Wikipedia article
  Van Vo (b. 1950) — of Garden Grove, Orange County, Calif. Born in 1950. Republican. Radio producer; talk show host; candidate for Governor of California, 2003. Vietnamese ancestry. Still living as of 2003.
  Toshi Yamamoto — of East Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, Calif. Republican. Candidate for Presidential Elector for California. Japanese ancestry. Still living as of 1968.
  Jimmie R. Yee — of Sacramento, Sacramento County, Calif. Mayor of Sacramento, Calif., 1999-2001. Asian/Pacific ancestry. Still living as of 2001.
  Leland Yee (b. 1948) — of San Francisco, Calif. Born in Taishan, China, November 20, 1948. Democrat. Naturalized U.S. citizen; child psychologist; member, San Francisco Board of Supervisors, 1997-2002; member of California state assembly 12th District, 2002-06; delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 2004; member of California state senate 8th District, 2006-; candidate for mayor of San Francisco, Calif., 2011. Chinese ancestry. Still living as of 2012.
  See also Wikipedia article
"Enjoy the hospitable entertainment of a political graveyard."
Henry L. Clinton, Apollo Hall, New York City, February 3, 1872
The Political Graveyard

The Political Graveyard is a web site about U.S. political history and cemeteries. Founded in 1996, it is the Internet's most comprehensive free source for American political biography, listing 320,919 politicians, living and dead.
 
  The coverage of this site includes (1) the President, Vice President, members of Congress, elected state and territorial officeholders in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories; and the chief elected official, typically the mayor, of qualifying municipalities; (2) candidates at election, including primaries, for any of the above; (3) all federal judges and all state appellate judges; (4) certain federal officials, including the federal cabinet, diplomatic chiefs of mission, consuls, U.S. district attorneys, collectors of customs and internal revenue, members of major federal commissions; and political appointee (pre-1969) postmasters of qualifying communities; (5) state and national political party officials, including delegates, alternate delegates, and other participants in national party nominating conventions; (6) Americans who served as "honorary" consuls for other nations before 1950. Note: municipalities or communities "qualify", for Political Graveyard purposes, if they have at least half a million person-years of history, inclusive of predecessor, successor, and merged entities.  
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