Norman Mineta, 1st Japanese-American member of US cabinet, dies

Norman Mineta, the first Japanese-American nominated to a cabinet position in the United States, perished of heart failure on Tuesday at his home in Maryland. He was 90 years old.

Mineta, who was born on November 12, 1931, in San Jose, California, was forced to reside in a Japanese internment camp in Wyoming for almost three years during World War II.

He served in the Army after graduating from university and was elected to the San Jose City Council in 1967. He later became mayor of the city, a position he held for four years beginning in 1971.

Mineta worked as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1975 to 1995 to restore the honor of Japanese-Americans who were interned during WWII.

His efforts resulted in the passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 by then-President Ronald Reagan, as well as an apology and compensation from the US government.

Mineta served as Secretary of Commerce in Democratic President Bill Clinton’s late-term and as Secretary of Transportation in Republican President George W. Bush’s successor administration.

Following the terrorist events of September 11, 2001, Mineta ordered the immediate grounding of about 4,600 commercial aircraft in US airspace. On the other side, he was vehemently opposed to anti-Muslim measures.

After leaving office in December 2006, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States.

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