Norman Mineta
Norman Mineta | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, c. 2001 | |
| 14th United States Secretary of Transportation | |
| In office January 25, 2001 – July 7, 2006 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Rodney Slater |
| Succeeded by | Mary Peters |
| 33rd United States Secretary of Commerce | |
| In office July 21, 2000 – January 20, 2001 | |
| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | William M. Daley |
| Succeeded by | Donald Evans |
| Ranking Member of the House Transportation Committee | |
| In office January 3, 1995 – October 10, 1995 | |
| Preceded by | Bud Shuster |
| Succeeded by | Jim Oberstar |
| Chair of the House Transportation Committee | |
| In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 1995 | |
| Preceded by | Bob Roe |
| Succeeded by | Bud Shuster |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California | |
| In office January 3, 1975 – October 10, 1995 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Lagomarsino (redistricted) |
| Succeeded by | Tom Campbell |
| Constituency | 13th district (1975–1993) 15th district (1993–1995) |
| 59th Mayor of San Jose | |
| In office January 9, 1971 – January 9, 1975 | |
| Preceded by | Ron James |
| Succeeded by | Janet Gray Hayes |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Norman Yoshio Mineta November 12, 1931 San Jose, California, U.S. |
| Died | May 3, 2022 (aged 90) Edgewater, Maryland, U.S. |
| Resting place | Oak Hill Memorial Park |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) |
May Hinoki
(m. 1961; div. 1986)Deni Brantner (m. 1991) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of California, Berkeley (BS) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Unit | Army Military Intelligence Corps |
Norman Yoshio Mineta (Japanese: 峯田 良雄, November 12, 1931 – May 3, 2022) was an American politician and U.S. Army officer who served as a Cabinet secretary in the administrations of President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, and George W. Bush, a Republican. He was a member of the Democratic Party.
Mineta served as Mayor of San Jose, California, from 1971 to 1975. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1975 until 1995. Mineta served as the United States secretary of commerce during the final months of Bill Clinton's presidency. He was the first person of East Asian descent to serve as a US Cabinet secretary and the first Asian American mayor of a major US city.
As the United States secretary of transportation for President Bush, Mineta was the only Democratic cabinet secretary in the Bush administration. He oversaw the creation of the Transportation Security Administration in response to the September 11 attacks that had occurred early in his tenure. On June 23, 2006, Mineta announced his resignation after more than five years as secretary of transportation, effective July 7, 2006, making him the longest-serving secretary of transportation in the department's history. A month later, the public relations firm Hill & Knowlton announced that Mineta would join it as a partner. In 2010, it was announced that Mineta would join L&L Energy as vice chairman. San Jose International Airport is named after him.
Mineta died on May 3, 2022, from a heart ailment in Edgewater, Maryland, at the age of 90.