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Norman Yoshio Mineta (born November 12, 1931) is an American politician and member of the Democratic party. Mineta most recently served in the President's Cabinet of George W. Bush as the United States Secretary of Transportation. Mineta was the only Democratic Cabinet Secretary in the Republican George W. Bush Administration. On June 23, 2006, Mineta announced his resignation after 5 years and six months years as Secretary of Transportation, effective July 7, 2006, making him the longest-serving Transportation Secretary in the Department's history. On July 10, 2006, Hill & Knowlton announced that Mineta would join the firm, effective July 24, 2006.
Early life, career, and family
Mineta was born in San Jose, California, to Japanese immigrant parents. During World War II the Mineta family was detained in an internment camp near Cody, Wyoming, along with hundreds of other Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans.
While detained in the camp, Mineta, a Cub Scout, met fellow Scout Alan K. Simpson, future U.S. Senator from Wyoming, who often visited the Scouts in the internment camp with his troop. The two became, and have remained, close friends and political allies.
He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley's Walter A. Haas School of Business in 1953 with a degree in Business Administration. Upon graduation, Mineta joined the US Army and served as an intelligence officer in Japan and Korea. He then joined his father in the Mineta Insurance Agency.
Mineta is married to Danealia (Deni) Mineta. He has two sons, David and Stuart Mineta, and two stepsons, Robert and Mark Brantner.
Councilman and Mayor of San Jose
His political career began in 1967 when he was appointed to a vacant San Jose City Council seat by mayor Ron James. In 1969 he was elected to his seat, in his own right, on the council and became the vice mayor. In 1971 he ran against 14 other candidates to replace James. Mineta won every precinct in the election, and with over 60% of the total vote, and was elected the 59th Mayor of San Jose, becoming the first Asian American mayor of a major U.S. city. As mayor, Mineta ended the city's 20 year old policy of rapid growth by annexation, creating development free areas in East and South San Jose. His vice mayor, Janet Gray Hayes, succeeded him as mayor in 1975.
United States Congress
From 1975 to 1995 he sat in the United States House of Representatives representing the Silicon Valley area. He co-founded the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and served as its first chair. Mineta served as chairman of the House Public Works and Transportation Committee between 1992 and 1994. He chaired the committee's aviation subcommittee between 1981 and 1988, and chaired its Surface Transportation Subcommittee from 1989 to 1991.
During his career in Congress he was a key author of the landmark Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991. He also pressed for more funding for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Mineta, with his friend Republican Senate Whip Alan Simpson, was also the driving force behind passage of H.R. 442, the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which officially apologized for and redressed the injustices endured by Japanese Americans during World War II. In 1995, George Washington University awarded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Medal to Mineta for his contributions to the field of civil rights.
Private sector and Secretary of Commerce
Mineta resigned his seat mid-term to accept a position with Lockheed Martin in 1995. The Democrats subsequently lost this district when Republican Tom Campbell defeated Democratic candidate Jerry Estruth in the special election held to fill the vacated seat. Mineta chaired the National Civil Aviation Review Commission, which in 1997 issued recommendations on reducing traffic congestion and reducing the aviation accident rate. Many of the commission's recommendations were adopted by the Clinton administration, including reform of the FAA to enable it to perform more like a business.
After serving as vice president of Lockheed Martin Corporation, he was appointed in 2000 by President Clinton as the United States Secretary of Commerce, making him the first Asian American to hold a post in the presidential cabinet.
Secretary of Transportation
He was appointed United States Secretary of Transportation by President George W. Bush in 2001, a post he was originally offered eight years previously by Bill Clinton. He is currently the only Democrat in Bush's cabinet and also the first Secretary of Transportation to have previously served in a cabinet position. He became the first Asian-American to hold the position, and only the fourth person to be a member of Cabinet under Presidents from different political parties (after Edwin M. Stanton, Henry L. Stimson and James R. Schlesinger).
During the September 11, 2001 attacks, he issued an order to ground all civilian airplane traffic for the first time in U.S. history and testified to the 9/11 Commission about his experience in the Presidential Emergency Operating Center with vice president Cheney as American Airlines flight 77 approached the Pentagon.* After hearing of Mineta's orders, Canadian Transport Minister David Collenette acted swiftly and issued orders to ground all civilian airplane traffic across North America, resulting in Operation Yellow Ribbon. On September 21, 2001, Mineta sent a letter to all U.S. airlines forbidding them from practicing profiling; or subjecting Middle Eastern or Muslim passengers to a heightened degree of pre-flight scrutiny. He stated that it was illegal for the airlines to discriminate against passengers based on their race, color, national or ethnic origin or religion.
The Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport in San Jose was named after him in November 2001 when Mineta was serving as Secretary of Transportation. The Mineta Transportation Institute, located at San José State University, was also named after him.
White House Press Secretary Tony Snow announced on June 23, 2006, that Mineta would resign effective July 7, 2006, because "he wanted to", with a spokesman for Mineta saying he was "moving on to pursue other challenges."Associated Press (2006). Transportation Secretary Mineta resigns. Retrieved June 23, 2006. He will leave office as the longest-serving Secretary of Transportation in history.White House (2006) President's Statement on Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta. Retrieved June 24, 2006
Hill & Knowlton announced on July 10, 2006, that Mineta will join the firm as vice chairman, effective July 24, 2006. Hill & Knowlton (2006) U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta Joins Hill & Knowlton. Retrieved July 10, 2006
References
See also
1931 births | Japanese Americans | Mayors of San Jose, California | Living people | San Joseans | Members of the United States House of Representatives from California | United States Army officers | United States Secretaries of Commerce | United States Secretaries of Transportation
Norman Mineta | ノーマン・ミネタ | Norman Mineta | Norman Mineta | Norman Mineta | Norman Mineta
"Norman Mineta"