Dalip Singh Saund

Dalip Singh Saund (born September 20, 1899 in Amritsar , India , † April 22, 1973 in Hollywood , California ) was an American politician . Between 1957 and 1963 he represented the state of California in the US House of Representatives . He is so far the only Sikh who in the Congress was elected.

Career

Dalip Saund grew up in what was then the British Crown Colony of India, where he attended public schools. He studied at the University of the Punjab in Lahore until 1919 . In 1920 Saund came to Los Angeles , where he continued his education at the University of California there until 1922 . Between 1930 and 1953, Saund grew lettuce in California's Imperial Valley . Since 1953 he traded chemical fertilizers in Westmorland . He had been an American citizen since 1949. From 1952 to 1957 he served as justice of the peace in his home district. At the same time he embarked on a political career as a member of the Democratic Party . In 1952, 1956 and 1960 he was a delegate to the respective Democratic National Conventions .

In the 1956 congressional election , Saund was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the 29th constituency of California , where he succeeded John Phillips on January 3, 1957 . In the election he had prevailed against the Republican Jacqueline Cochran . After two re-elections, he was able to complete three legislative terms in Congress by January 3, 1963. This period was marked by the events of the Cold War and the civil rights movement . Dalip Saund was the first congressman to come from India. In 1962 he was not re-elected. He died in Hollywood on April 22, 1973.

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personal data
SURNAME	Saund, Dalip Singh
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician of Indian origin
DATE OF BIRTH	September 20, 1899
PLACE OF BIRTH	Amritsar , India
DATE OF DEATH	April 22nd 1973
Place of death	Hollywood , California