Hiram Fong
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| Hiram Fong 鄺友良 |
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| In office August 21, 1959 – January 3, 1977 |
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| Preceded by | (none) |
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| Succeeded by | Spark Matsunaga |
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| Born | October 15, 1906 Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Died | August 18, 2004 (aged 97) Kahaluu, Hawaii |
| Resting place | Oahu Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Ellyn Lo |
| Alma mater | University of Hawaii at Manoa Harvard School of Law |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Army Air Forces |
| Years of service | 1942-1944 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | 7th Air Force |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Hiram Leong Fong (Chinese: 鄺友良, Kuàng Yǒuliáng), born Yau Leong Fong[1] (October 15, 1906 – August 18, 2004), was an American businessman and politician from Hawaii. He is most notable for his service as Republican United States Senator from 1959 to 1977, and for being the first Asian American and Chinese American to be elected as such. In 1964, Fong became the first Asian American to run for his party's nomination for President of the United States. As of 2008, he is the only Republican to ever hold a Senate seat from Hawaii and the only Asian American to actively seek the Presidential nomination of the Republican Party. He would be followed by Patsy Mink, also from Hawaii, who sought the nomination of the Democratic Party in 1972.
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[edit] Early years
Fong was born in the Honolulu neighborhood of Kalihi on the island of Oahu as the seventh of 11 children of father Fong Sau Howe and mother Fong Lum Shee. He attended local public schools and graduated from McKinley High School in 1924.[1]
In 1930, Fong obtained a degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and in 1935 obtained a law degree from Harvard University. He returned to Honolulu and worked in the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney of Honolulu. In 1938, Fong went into private legal practice and founded the firm of Fong, Miho, Choy and Robinson. In 1942, he changed his name to "Hiram".[1] During World War II he served as a major in the United States Army Air Forces as a Judge Advocate, later retiring as a colonel from the United States Air Force Reserve.[1][2]
[edit] Political years
The same year he founded his law office, Fong entered elected political life as a member of the Hawaii Territorial House of Representatives where he became Speaker of the House from 1948 to 1954. During this time, he was one of the front most leaders in the fight to make Hawaii a state. He was forced into retirement when the Democratic Party of Hawaii successfully ended a Hawaii Republican Party stronghold over the territorial legislature by voting most Republican incumbents out of office. Fong founded several businesses after leaving the legislature.[1]
Upon achieving statehood through the Admission Act of 1959, Hawaii returned Fong to elected office becoming one of its first United States Senators.[3] He served alongside former Governor of Hawaii Oren E. Long, a career Democrat and popular territorial leader.
Fong sought civil rights legislation in the Senate and supported both the Vietnam War and President Nixon during the Watergate scandal.[3]
He twice ran favorite son campaigns for the Republican presidential nomination, in 1964 and 1968.[4] In 1964, he became the first Asian American to receive votes for president at a major party convention, receiving the votes of the Hawaii and Alaska delegations. Fong was the first Hawaii-born individual to run for President of the United States.
[edit] Personal life
Fong married Ellyn Lo in 1938; they had four children. After retiring from the Senate, Fong faced financial and legal difficulties, including several lawsuits with a son over the family's businesses that forced him and his wife to declare bankruptcy in 2003.[1] They managed a garden of 725 acres (293 ha) that was opened to the public in 1988.[5] He worked in the garden until a week before his death.
Fong was a Congregationalist, and was buried in Oahu Cemetery.[6]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f Nakaso, Dan. "Hiram Fong dead at 97" Honolulu Advertiser, 18 August 2004.
- ^ Fong Garden biography
- ^ a b Arakawa, Linda. "First Asian in U.S. Senate broke barriers" Honolulu Advertiser, 19 August 2004.
- ^ Senator Hiram Fong Exhibit, Hawaii Congressional Papers Collection, University of Hawaii.
- ^ Biographical sketch senatorfong.com
- ^ Hiram Leong Fong at Find a Grave
[edit] External links
| United States Senate | ||
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| Preceded by (none) |
United States Senator (Class 1) from Hawaii 1959–1977 Served alongside: Oren E. Long, Daniel Inouye |
Succeeded by Spark Matsunaga |
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| Preceded by Strom Thurmond |
Oldest living U.S. Senator June 26, 2003-August 18, 2004 |
Succeeded by Clifford Hansen |
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