Bio
	Norman Y. Mineta was born in San Jose on November 12, 1931. As a child, he was one of 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry who were forcibly removed from the West Coast by the U.S. Government during World War II and imprisoned in internment camps. In 1974, Mineta was elected to the House of Represen­tatives in the 94th Congress. During the historic100th Congress, Mineta was the driving force behind the passage of H.R. 442, the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which won reparations for the injustices endured by Americans of Japanese Ancestry during the war. Congressman Mineta worked closely with NCRR during the 10 year campaign for redress/reparations. He always maintained strong ties and a genuine fondness for his community. Mineta's style of work in Congress was characterized by his open door policy and his willingness to share significant information on a timely basis. He was special to the community because he valued the community and recognized their vital role in winning redress.Mineta was also respected by his Democratic colleagues in the House of Representatives, who elected him Chair of the powerful House Committee on Public Works and Transportation. Mineta was the first Asian American to chair a major committee in Congress. From 1982 to 1995, Mineta served as the Deputy Whip of the House Democratic leadership.During the 103rd Congress, Mineta joined with nine colleagues from the House and Senate to fund the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, the counterpart to the influential Black and Hispanic Congressional Caucuses. He was elected to serve as the founding Chair of the Caucus.Congressman Mineta was a business executive by profession, but served in public office since 1967 when he was appointed to fill a vacancy on the San Jose City Council. In 1971, he was elected mayor of San Jose, becoming the first Japanese American mayor of a major U.S. city. Three years later he was elected to Congress.In October, 1995, Mineta ended a 21-year career with the House of Representatives to become Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Lockheed Martin IMS' Transportation Systems and Services line of business. In this position, he heads a business that focuses on commercial vehicle operations and electronic toll and traffic management.The community will miss Norm Mineta's strength of conviction on issues of justice and equality; and his willingness to stand side by side with, and be the voice for the Japanese American and Asian Pacific concerns in Congress.