Hiram Fong

Hiram Fong

Hiram Leong Fong (* 15. October 1906 in Honolulu , Hawaii ; † 18th August 2004 in Kahaluu , Hawaii) was an American politician ( Republican Party ), of the US state of Hawaii from 1959 to 1977 in the US Senate took . He was the first US senator of Chinese descent.

Career

Fong was born in Honolulu in 1906 to Chinese immigrants. After graduating from President William McKinley High School , he completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa until 1930 . There he was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa academic community . He then studied law at Harvard University , where he graduated in 1935 with a Juris Doctor .

To fund his studies, Fong worked from 1924 to 1927 as an employee in the procurement department of the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and from 1930 to 1932 as the bureau manager of the Honolulu Suburban Water System (" Suburban Water System of the City and County of Honolulu "). After graduating from Harvard, Fong founded the law firm Fong, Miho, Choy and Robinson.

Military career

Fong was a member of the US Army Air Corps from 1942 to 1944 during World War II . He began his military career as 1st Lieutenant and was later promoted to Major . He then served as the Judge Advocate of the Seventh Combat Command of the 7th Air Fleet . As a reserve officer in the US Army, he served for 20 years. He was released as a Colonel from the Air Force Reserve Command and was accepted as a member of the "Kau-Tom Post" of the American Legion and as "Post 1540" of the veterans' association "Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States" (VFW). In 1971 he was appointed a member of the Board of Visitors of the United States Military Academy at West Point. In April 1974 he was appointed to the “Board of Visitors” of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis.

Political career

On July 28, 1959, Fong was elected to the United States Senate as a Senator for Hawaii . He was the first US Senator of Chinese descent. He was re-elected twice (1964 and 1970). On January 2, 1977, he resigned as a senator.

Senator Fong Plantation

As early as 1950, Fong acquired a few acres of land in the Ko'olau Mountains . After his political career, he expanded the property to approximately 700 acres today. In the country he created a park with tropical, exotic plants and plantations. The park "Senator Fong's Plantation and Gardens" won the 1999 "Kahili Award" which has been awarded by the Hawaii Tourism Authority since 1990.

Web links

• Hiram Fong in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Personal Website (English)
• Story of "Senator Fong's Plantation and Gardens" (English)