Celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Some Asian-Pacific American Firsts in Politics and Business

1763: First recorded settlement of Asians in the United States:

          Filipinos in Louisiana

1790: First recorded Indian immigrant in U.S.

1820: First recorded Chinese immigrant in U.S.

1847: Yung Wing becomes first Chinese to graduate from U.S.

           college (Yale)

1946: Wing Ong is first Asian American elected to state office

          (Arizona)

1956: Dalip Singh Saund of California becomes first Indian

          American in Congress

1959: Hiram Fong of Hawaii becomes first Chinese American

in Senate and Daniel K. Inouye of Hawaii becomes first 

Japanese American in Congress

1964: Patsy Takemoto Mink of Hawaii becomes first nonwhite

          woman in Congress

1986: Gerald Tsai of American Can becomes first Asian American 

          CEO of a Fortune 500 company

1992: Jay Kim of California becomes first Korean American in

          Congress

1997: Gary Locke of Washington becomes first Asian American 
          governor of mainland state

2000: Secretary of Commerce Norman Mineta becomes first

          Asian American Cabinet member

2001: Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao becomes first woman Asian

          American Cabinet member

2007: Bobby Jindal of Louisiana becomes first Indian American

          governor

2009: President Barack Obama appoints three Asian Americans to 

          Cabinet