Amata Honors the Legacy of Secretary Mineta
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is honoring the life and legacy of former Cabinet Secretary Norman Yoshio Mineta, who was a trailblazer for Asian Pacific Americans in national leadership. Secretary Mineta, who served in the Cabinet for two Presidents of both major political parties, passed away this past week (May 3) aged 90.
Under President Bill Clinton, he served as Secretary of Commerce, and then served as Secretary of Transportation under President George W. Bush. As Secretary of Commerce, he became the first person Asian American to serve in the role of Cabinet Secretary in the United States.
“His distinguished career is an inspiration for Asian Pacific Americans,” said Congresswoman Amata. “Secretary Mineta holds a lasting place in history for his role leading the Transportation Department on September 11, 2001, when thousands of airplanes all over the nation were rerouted rapidly to land.”
Pictured in 2008 with Secretary Mineta as he took part in presenting me with the International Leadership Foundation’s Visionary Leadership Award.
“It is also uncommon for anyone to hold leadership posts at that high level for Presidents of opposing parties, but Secretary Mineta was highly regarded throughout Washington,” she continued.
Prior to his Cabinet roles, Secretary Mineta also served ten terms in the U.S. Congress, and led San Jose, California , as mayor. He is believed to be the first Asian American to lead a US city of that size. Under President Bush, he left office as the longest-serving Secretary of Transportation. On September 11th, he famously issued his directives to the Transportation Department from a bunker alongside Vice President Dick Cheney. In his honor, the international airport in San Jose is named for Norman Y. Mineta.
###