This page is a list of notable Asian Americans. [edit] Arts/architecture/design - Jorge Cham, author of PhD Comics
- Maya Lin, architect, designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
- IM Pei, renowend architect, designed the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Louvre Pyramid
- Whilce Portacio, comic book artist for Marvel Comics and co-founder of Image Comics, the fourth largest comic book publisher in the United States
- Minoru Yamasaki, architect, designed the World Trade Center
- Vern Yip, interior designer, appeared on TLC's Trading Spaces and HGTV's Deserving Design and Design Star
[edit] Business and industry - Christine Chen, founder and CEO of Chen Communications
- Ram Shriram, co-founder of Junglee.com
- Sabeer Bhatia, co-founded Hotmail
- Amar Bose, chairman and founder of Bose Corporation
- Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo.
- Ramani Ayer, Chairman and CEO, The Hartford Financial Services Group
- Shantanu Narayen, CEO of Adobe Systems
- John Chen - chairman, chief executive officer, president, Sybase
- Alfred Chuang, founder and CEO of BEA Systems
- Weili Dai - billionaire, co-founder
- Dodge Demon, Principal Exterior Designer, Chrysler Group. Designs 2007 Dodge Demon
- Jen-Hsun Huang, co-founded the NVIDIA corporation in 1993.
- David Ji - co-founder, Apex Digital
- Shantanu Narayan - CEO, Adobe Systems[citation needed]
- Andrea Jung, serves as Chairman and CEO of Avon Products.
- Jawed Karim, co-founded YouTube in 2005.
- Vinod Khosla, was a founding CEO of Sun Microsystems and is a successful general partner of the venture capital firm Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers.
- Bharat Desai, founder of Syntel
- David Lam - founder, Lam Research
- James Lau - co-founder, chief strategy officer, NetApp[citation needed]
- Kai-Fu Lee - President of Google China
- Vikram Pandit - President and CEO of Citigroup
- Patrick Soon-Shiong, surgeon, founder Abraxis BioScience, billionaire
- An Wang, founded Wang Laboratories in June 1951.
- Charles B. Wang, co-founded and former CEO of Computer Associates International, Inc..
- Andrea Wong- CEO and President, Lifetime Networks
- Jeff Yang, co-founded A Magazine in 1989 and is a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle.
- Jerry Yang, co-founded Yahoo! Inc. in 1994.
- Min Zhu, co-founder and former president and chief technical officer of WebEx.
[edit] Entertainment - Keiko Agena, actress
- Toshiko Akiyoshi, jazz pianist, composer/arranger, and bandleader
- Nadia Ali of the music group iiO
- Tsuru Aoki (1892 - 1961), actress
- Chang and Eng Bunker (the source for the term "Siamese Twins")
- Eric Byler, filmmaker
- Dean Cain, actor
- Tia Carrere, actress and singer
- Cassie, singer and model
- Wah Chang prop designer - famous for designing the original Star Trek communicator and phasers
- Joan Chen, actress, director
- John Cho, actor
- Margaret Cho won the American Comedy Award for Best Female Comedian in 1994.
- Michael Copon
- Mark Dacascos, actor, of the Crying Freeman and the "Chairman" from Iron Chef America
- Ariel Felix, actor[citation needed]
- Kayo Hatta (1958 - 2005), filmmaker
- Sessue Hayakawa (1889 - 1973), Academy Award nominated actor
- Gina Hiraizumi, actress, singer
- Steven Ho, stuntman, stunt coordinator, fight choreographer
- James Hong, actor
- James Wong Howe (1899 - 1976), 2-time Academy Award winning cinematographer
- Kelly Hu, actress
- Vanessa Anne Hudgens, actress and singer
- Stella Hudgens, actor
- Chad Hugo
- David Henry Hwang, Tony winning playwright
- Malese Jow actress and singer
- Rodney Kageyama, actor
- Michael Kang, filmmaker
- Sung Kang, actor
- Janice Kawaye, voice actress
- Daniel Dae Kim, actor
- Randall Duk Kim, actor[citation needed]
- Nancy Kwan, actress
- Bobby Lee, Comedian
- Brandon Lee - actor, son of Bruce Lee
- Bruce Lee (1940 - 1973), martial arts superstar
- Chris Chan Lee, filmmaker
- Jason Scott Lee, actor
- Moon Lee graphic artist, credited with creating the Geisha Look, and popular actor from the eighties into the nineties
- Amazin Lethi - Producer, Director/Actress, TV Personality, Bodybuilder/Author, Model, Fashion Designer, Entrepreneur[citation needed]
- Justin Lin, filmmaker
- Apl.de.ap (Lindo) of Black Eyed Peas
- Bai Ling, actress
- Lucy Liu Chinese American actress[1]
- Mako (1933 - 2006) Academy Award and Tony Award nominated actor, founder of East West Players
- Sanjaya Malakar
- Aasif Mandvi
- Marie Matiko, actress
- Nobu McCarthy (1934 - 2002), actress
- Ming-Na, actress
- Vanessa Minnillo
- Pat Morita (1932 - 2005) comedian and Academy Award nominated actor best known for work on Happy Days and The Karate Kid
- Robert A. Nakamura, pioneering filmmaker, teacher, co-founder of Visual Communications (VC)
- Dr. Haing S. Ngor (1940 - 1996) won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1985.
- Dustin Nguyen, actor
- Julia Nickson, actress
- Lisa Onodera, film producer
- Janel Parrish, actress and singer
- Kal Penn, actor
- Dat Phan comedian, winner of the first season of Last Comic Standing
- Lou Diamond Philips actor, played Richie Valens in La Bamba
- Lindsay Price, actress
- Rob Schneider, Part-Filipino American comedian
- Nicole Scherzinger Filipino American of the Pussycat Dolls
- Shannyn Sossamon, actress
- James Shigeta, actor
- Brenda Song, actress and singer
- George Takei actor of Star Trek fame
- Chris Tashima, actor, Academy Award winning filmmaker
- Jennifer Tilly - actress (born in California)
- Meg Tilly - actress
- Chuti Tiu - actress, "Desire", "24", "Dragnet", "Beautiful", "The Specials", former America's Junior Miss (first non-Caucasian winner)
- Tamlyn Tomita, actress
- Lauren Tom, voice actress
- Jasmine Trias American Idol contestant
- Ming Tsai (蔡明) - chef and restaurateur (Blue Ginger); host of Emmy Award winning television show "East Meets West"
- Camile Velasco of American Idol
- Kelly Vitz- actress on Sky High and Nancy Drew
- Garrett Wang (王以瞻) - actor in Star Trek: Voyager
- Ming-Na Wen - Macanese-born actress
- B.D. Wong, Tony Award winning actor
- Anna May Wong (1905 - 1961), actress
- Helen Wong - model and actress
- Russell Wong (王盛德) - actor
- Victor Wong (黃自強) - Hollywood actor
- Maggie Quigley, actress
- Grace Park, actress
- Justin Chon, actor
- Kelis, R&B singer
- Zubin Mehta, Conductor, New York Philharmonic Orchestra.
- Kim Thayil, Guitarist for Grammy Award winning rock group Soundgarden
- Norah Jones, Musician, Grammy Award winner, daughter of Ravi Shankar.
- Tony Kanal, Two-time Grammy Award winner, bass player for No Doubt.
- Sameer Bhattacharya, One of two guitarists in the Texas alternative rock band Flyleaf.
- Ne-yo superstar R&B singer.
- Amerie R&B singers of today.
- Jin Au-Yeung is credited as being a pioneer in the Asian American hip hop scene.
- Cassie is an R&B singer.
- Angelin Chang Grammy Award winning pianist and renown music professor
- Jeff Chang is a music critic and historian of hip-hop culture.
- Jocelyn Enriquez
- Magdalen Hsu-Li out bisexual Chinese American singer-songwriter recording artist, poet and artist.
- Natalise, Burmese-Chinese singer
- William Hung is a contestant from American Idol
- James Iha, formerly the guitarist of The Smashing Pumpkins
- Jeff Kashiwa, smooth jazz saxophonist
- Yo-Yo Ma renowned cellist
- Sanjaya Malakar, finalist from American Idol
- Charles Mingus Jazz bassist, pianist, and composer.
- Seiji Ozawa Boston Symphony Conductor
- Mike Park was the singer of Skankin Pickle and currently runs Asian Man Records
- Mike Relm is a scratch video DJ who has toured with the Blue Man Group
- Lea Salonga, singing voice of many Disney leads and Broadway musicals, originally from Philippines
- Mike Shinoda and Joseph Hahn are successful Asian Americans in the popular rap rock band Linkin Park.
- Vienna Teng, folk and pop singer-songwriter
[edit] Reality TV stars [edit] Fashion - James-Paul Ancheta, fashion designer and contestant on Bravo's The Fashion Show
- Anna Bayle, supermodel, maker of Anna Bayle cosmetics
- Doo-Ri Chung, fashion designer
- Chloe Dao, fashion designer and winner of Project Runway (season 2)
- Diana Eng, fashion designer and contestant on Project Runway (season 2)
- Victorya Hong, fashion designer and contestant on Project Runway (season 4)
- Derek Lam, fashion designer
- Monique Lhuillier, fashion designer
- Phillip Lim, fashion designer
- Josie Natori, fashion designer
- Peter Som, fashion designer
- Anna Sui, fashion designer
- Jerry Tam, fashion designer and contestant on Project Runway (season 5)
- Vivienne Tam, fashion designer
- Rafé Totengco, fashion designer
- Alexander Wang, fashion designer
- Vera Wang, fashion designer
- Sue Wong, fashion designer
[edit] Literature - Alfredo Alcala – Filipino comic book artist.
- Peter Bacho, author of the American Book Award winning novel Cebu
- Lynda Barry – mestiza cartoonist, most known for Ernie Pook's Comeek and Marlys, published in Salon.com and other independent papers; she created the prototype for what would become the cartoon hit series, The Simpsons
- Carlos Bulosan – author, "America Is In the Heart."
- Regie Cabico – notable slam poet and performer.
- Ernie Chan – comic book artist/inker for Marvel Comics and DC Comics.
- Eileen Chang - writer
- Lan Samantha Chang - writer; director of the Iowa Writer's Workshop
- Frank Chin (趙健秀) - novelist, playwright, and essayist
- Dianne de Las Casas – author and award-winning storyteller
- Melissa de la Cruz – author of teen lit series Au Pairs, The Ashleys and Blue Bloods
- Tony De Zuniga – co-creator of Jonah Hex
- Ben Fee - writer and labor organizer
- Don Figueroa - comic book artist for IDW Publishing and Dreamwave Entertainment, working on various Transformers titles.
- Tanuja Desai Hidier, author of Born Confused
- David Henry Hwang (黃哲倫) - playwright
- Rafael Kayanan – comic book artist and master level instructor in Sayoc Kali.
- Maxine Hong Kingston - writer, novelist
- Gish Jen - writer, novelist
- Ha Jin - novelist, winner of the National Book Award for "Waiting"
- Jhumpa Lahiri, Pulitzer Prize-winning author
- Gus Lee (李健孫) - writer
- Huping Ling- history professor, award-winning author, Executive Editor for the Journal of Asian American Studies
- Bette Bao Lord (包柏漪) - writer, novelist
- David Wong Louie - writer
- Lisa See - writer
- Adeline Yen Mah (馬嚴君玲) - author and physician
- Nick Manabat – creator of Cybernary, comic book artist for Wildstorm Productions
- William Marr (馬為義, 非馬) - Engineer, poet, translator, and artist
- Kenn Navarro – animator of cartoon Happy Tree Friends
- Aimee Nezhukumatathil – award-winning poet and professor
- Han Ong – playwright and author; recipient of MacArthur Foundation "genius" grant.
- Linda Sue Park, American-born author; winner of the 2002 Newbery Medal for A Single Shard
- Whilce Portacio – created Bishop of the X-Men, co-founder of Image Comics.
- Randy Romero – Writer
- Saumitra Saxena, award winning poet in the modern Indian history. Graduated from Indian Institutue of Technology and received his Phd. from University of Illinois at Chicago.[citation needed]
- Lisa See - writer
- Eileen Tabios – poet.
- Amy Tan best-selling author of The Joy Luck Club, The Bonesetter's Daughter, The Kitchen God's Wife, etc.
- Romeo Tanghal – comic book artist.
- Alex Tizon – Pulitzer Prize Winner.
- Jose Garcia Villa – poet, writer, generationalist; pre-Beat Generation influence.
- Jade Snow Wong - writer
- Timothy C. Wong (黃宗泰) - sinologist, translator, and literary theorist
- Gene Luen Yang - graphic novelist
- Laurence Yep (叶祥添)- author of children's books
- Judy Yung - writer
- Dr. Abraham Verghese noted Doctor and Author; "In My Own Country" and "My Tennis Partner"
[edit] Military [edit] Individuals - Jesse Aliganga – Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps. Killed in action during 1998 embassy bombing in Nairobi, Kenya
- Jose Calugas – Captain, U.S. Army. Medal of Honor recipient, World War II
- Ming Chang – Rear Admiral (Upper Half), U.S. Navy, retired. Department of Navy Inspector General, 1987-1990[2][3]
- Arthur Chin (陳瑞鈿) – Major, National Revolutionary Army. World War II pilot and fighter ace with Canton Provincial Air Force
- David S. C. Chu – Captain, U.S. Army. Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (2001-2008), President/CEO of the Institute for Defense Analyses
- Gordon Pai'ea Chung-Hoon – Rear Admiral (Upper Half), U.S. Navy. First Asian American citizen graduate from United States Naval Academy; first Asian American flag officer
- Susan Ahn Cuddy – Lieutenant, U.S. Navy. First female gunnery officer in the navy
- John R. D’Araujo Jr. – Major General, U.S. Army. First Filipino American to be promoted to a general officer rank. Former Director of the Army National Guard Bureau. Former Director of the Recovery Division for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).[4][5]
- Rudolph Davila – First Lieutenant, U.S. Army. Medal of Honor Recipient, World War II
- Tammy Duckworth – Major, U.S. Army. Assistant Secretary of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs
- John Liu Fugh – Major General, U.S. Army, retired. First Chinese American officer to be promoted to a general officer rank in the United States Army; first Chinese American to serve as Judge Advocate General of the Army
- Barney F. Hajiro – Private, U.S. Army. Medal of Honor recipient in World War II
- Mikio Hasemoto – Private, U.S. Army. Posthumous Medal of Honor recipient in World War II
- Joe Hayashi – Private, U.S. Army. Posthumous Medal of Honor recipient in World War II
- Shizuya Hayashi – Private, U.S. Army. Medal of Honor recipient in World War II
- Oscar Hilman – Brigadier General, U.S. Army, retired.[6][7][8][9]
- Daniel Inouye – Captain, U.S. Army. Senator from Hawaii, Medal of Honor recipient World War II
- Terry Teruo Kawamura – Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army. Posthumous Medal of Honor recipient in Vietnam War
- Young-Oak Kim – Colonel, U.S. Army. First ethnic minority to lead a U.S. Army Battalion
- Yeiki Kobashigawa – Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army. Medal of Honor recipient in World War II
- Wah Kau Kong – Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Corps. First Chinese American fighter pilot
- Alice K. Kurashige – Captain, U.S. Marine Corps. First Japanese American woman to be commissioned in the United States Marine Corps[citation needed]
- Robert T. Kuroda – Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army. Posthumous Medal of Honor recipient in World War II
- Ben Kuroki – Technical Sergeant, U.S. Army Air Corps. Only Japanese American Army Air Force pilot to fly combat missions in the Pacific theater in World War II
- Hazel Ying Lee (李月英) – Civilian, Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP). First Chinese American woman to earn a pilot's license; flew for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II
- Nguyễn Ngọc Loan – Brigadier General, Army of the Republic of Vietnam. Subject of Eddie Adam's photograph
- Eleanor Mariano – Rear Admiral (Lower Half), U.S. Navy, retired. First Filipino American to be promoted to a flag officer rank. Former White House physician
- Spark Matsunaga – Captain, U.S. Army. Senator from Hawaii, 1997-1990
- Leroy A. Mendonca – Sergeant, US Army. Posthumous Medal of Honor recipient in Korean War
- Hiroshi Miyamura – Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army. Medal of Honor recipient in Korean War
- Kenneth P. Moritsugu – Rear Admiral (Upper Half), U.S. Public Health Service. Former acting Surgeon General of the United States
- Kaoru Moto – Private First Class, U.S. Army. Medal of Honor recipient in World War II
- Sadao Munemori – Private First Class, U.S. Army. Posthumous Medal of Honor recipient in World War II
- Kiyoshi K. Muranaga – Private First Class, U.S. Army. Posthumous Medal of Honor recipient in World War II
- Masato Nakae – Private First Class, U.S. Army. Medal of Honor recipient in World War II
- Shinyei Nakamine – Private, U.S. Army. Posthumous Medal of Honor recipient in World War II
- William K. Nakamura – Private First Class, U.S. Army. Posthumous Medal of Honor recipient in World War II
- Joe M. Nishimoto – Private First Class, U.S. Army. Posthumous Medal of Honor recipient in World War II
- José B. Nísperos – Private, U.S. Army. First Asian American Medal of Honor recipient
- Allan M. Ohata – Captain, U.S. Army. Medal of Honor recipient in World War II
- James K. Okubo – Technician Fifth Grade, U.S. Army. Posthumous Medal of Honor recipient in World War II
- Yukio Okutsu – Technical Sergeant, U.S. Army. Medal of Honor recipient in World War II
- Frank H. Ono – Private First Class, U.S. Army. Posthumous Medal of Honor recipient in World War II
- Kazuo Otani – Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army. Posthumous Medal of Honor recipient in World War II
- Vang Pao, – Major General, Royal Lao Army. Hmong Leader, commander of CIA-supported Hmong forces during the Laotian Civil War.
- Coral Wong Pietsch - Brigadier General, U.S. Army Reserve, retired. First female Asian American general officer in the US Army.
- Eldon Regua – Major General, U.S. Army Reserve. Commanding General, 75th Division(BCTD). Only non-retired[update] Filipino American general officer.[10][11]
- Joe Roche – Specialist, U.S. Army. Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran and political commentator
- George T. Sakato – Private, U.S. Army. Medal of Honor recipient in World War II
- Eric Shinseki – General, U.S. Army, retired. Chief of Staff of the United States Army, 1999-2003; Secretary of Veterans Affairs, 2009-Present (As of October 2009[update]). Highest ranked Asian American, As of October 2009[update], to have served in the United States military
- Elmelindo Rodrigues Smith – Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army. Posthumous Medal of Honor recipient in Vietnam War
- Edward Soriano – Lieutenant General U.S. Army, retired. Former Commanding General of I Corps. Highest ranked Filipino American, As of October 2009[update], to have served in the United States military
- Ramon S. Subejano – Private First Class, U.S. Army. Silver Star recipient in World War II
- Benigno G. Tabora – Sergeant Major, U.S. Army. Purple Heart recipient, World War II
- Antonio Taguba – Major General, U.S. Army, retired. Author of the Taguba Report
- Ted T. Tanouye – Technical Sergeant, U.S. Army. Posthumous Medal of Honor recipient in World War II
- Bhagat Singh Thind – Private, U.S. Army. Enlisted in Army during World War I, was an acting Sergeant during training, honorably discharged at the end of the war.[12]
- Telesforo Trinidad – Fireman Second Class, U.S. Navy. Only Asian American naval recipient of the Medal of Honor
- Ngo Quang Truong – Lieutenant General, Army of the Republic of Vietnam. Author
- Eleanor Valentin – Rear Admiral (Lower Half), Medical Corps, U.S. Navy. Commander, Naval Medical Support Command[13]
- Francis B. Wai – Captain, U.S. Army. Only Chinese American to have been awarded the Medal of Honor
- Ehren Watada – First Lieutenant, U.S. Army. First officer Operation Iraqi Freedom objector
- Mun Charn Wong – Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Air Force. Pilot, World War II
- Bruce Yamashita – Captain, U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, retired. Worked to expose racial discrimination
- Rodney James Takashi Yano – Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army. Posthumous Medal of Honor recipient in Vietnam War
- James Yee – Captain, U.S. Army. Muslim Chaplain previously charged with Sedition
[edit] News/media/journalism - Christine Chen, Emmy award winning journalist and news anchor
- Fareed Zakaria, editor of Newsweek and host of Fareed Zakaria GPS on CNN
- Zain Verjee, CNN anchor
- Sumi Das, CNN national correspondent
- Shihab Rattansi, CNN International Anchor
- Aneesh Raman, CNN Middle East correspondent
- Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN senior medical correspondent
- Ali Velshi, business news anchor for CNN
- Vinita Nair, current anchor of World News Now and America This Morning on ABC.
- Uma Pemmaraju, senior news anchor for Fox News Channel
- Guy Aoki, founder of Media Action Network for Asian Americans
- Jeff Chang - journalist, hip-hop historian
- Laura Chang - science editor, The New York Times
- Julie Chen - newsreader on The Early Show and host of Big Brother
- Anna Chen Chennault (陳香梅) - journalist, notable in American public life; also, wife of Claire Chennault, of the Flying Tigers
- Connie Chung, anchor and journalist, 2 Emmy Awards for Best Interviewer
- Ann Curry, anchor and correspondent for NBC News and The Today Show
- Veronica De La Cruz – CNN News anchor
- George Estrada – Humboldt State University professor of journalism; author of "I Have Tasted the Sweet Mangoes of Cebu"; former reporter with Oakland Tribune and Associated Press; columnist with the Philippine Times of Las Vegas.
- Ben Fong-Torres (方振豪) - journalist, Rolling Stone
- Rob Fukuzaki, sports anchor for KABC-TV in Los Angeles[citation needed]
- James Hattori, pioneering network news correspondent[citation needed]
- Joseph Heco (1837 - 1897), fisherman and writer, first to publish Japanese language newspaper
- Michiko Kakutani, New York Times literary critic and author
- Ken Kashiwahara, Fist Asian American network news anchor, Emmy winning television journalist[14]
- Guy Kawasaki, author, Apple evangelist
- Jennifer 8. Lee - journalist, The New York Times
- Carol Lin - news anchor
- Sam Chu Lin - journalist, one of the first Asian Americans on network TV news
- Lisa Ling (凌志慧) (1973 - ) journalist, known for her role as a co-host of ABC's The View and host of National Geographic Ultimate Explorer
- Michelle Malkin – Fox News Reporter and author
- Gordon Morioka, photojournalist based in Cincinnati, Ohio (formerly with the Dayton Journal Herald and the Cincinnati Enquirer)[citation needed]
- Kent Ninomiya, anchor, reporter and news executive
- David Ono, anchorman for KABC-TV in Los Angeles[citation needed]
- Scott Sassa, former President, NBC West Coast
- Jennifer Su (Jennifer Tsou) - Television news anchor, Star TV
- Iva Toguri (1916 - 2006), radio broadcaster who has been nicknamed "Tokyo Rose"
- Wendy Tokuda, anchorwoman for San Francisco KPIX 5, previously for KRON 4[citation needed]
- Kaity Tong - Television news anchor, WPIX-TV
- Tritia Toyota, former anchorwoman, founder of Asian American Journalists Association[citation needed]
- John Yang (journalist) Peabody Award winning news correspondent and commentator for NBC Night News with Brian Williams, Today (NBC program), and MSNBC
- Jeff Yang - writer, media/business consultant, Asian American culture columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle
- Anthony Yuen - journalist
- William Yukon Chang - Founder/publisher of the first English-language New York Chinatown newspaper, Chinese American Times[citation needed]
[edit] Politics - Daniel Akaka was elected to the U.S. Senate from Hawaii in 1990.
- George Ariyoshi became the first Asian American governor in the United States when he was elected Governor of Hawaii in 1974.
- Thelma Buchholdt became the first Filipina-American legislator and the first Filipino American legislator elected to office outside of Hawaii in 1974. She was elected by a constituency which was less than 1% Asian American, and served four terms in the Alaska state legislature.
- Anh "Joseph" Cao became the first Vietnamese American Congressman as a Representative for Louisiana in 2008.
- Ben Cayetano was elected Governor of Hawaii in 1994.
- Elaine Chao became the first Asian American woman and the first Chinese American in the U.S. Cabinet when George W. Bush appointed her Secretary of Labor in 2001.
- David L. Chew was appointed the White House Staff Secretary by President Ronald Reagan in 1985. It is the highest position in the Executive Office of the President held by an Asian American.
- Upendra J. Chivukula became the first Asian American elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 2002.
- Tammy Duckworth became Director of the Illinois Department of Veteran's Affairs in 2006.
- Hiram Fong became the first Asian American elected to the U.S. Senate in 1959.
- Mike Honda a U.S. Congressman from California's 15th congressional district, became the highest-ranking Asian American member of the Democratic National Committee, as the party's Vice Chair in 2005.
- Daniel Inouye became the first Japanese American elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1959. In 1962, he became the first Japanese American elected to the U.S. Senate. As of 2006, he is the Senate's third-most senior member.
- Bobby Jindal was elected the first Indian American congressman from Louisiana in 2004.
- Masur Javed "M.J." Khan became a Houston City Councilmember in 2004.[citation needed]
- Tony Lam became the first Vietnamese American elected to office when he was elected to the Westminster, California city council in 1992.
- Gary Locke was elected the first Asian American governor in the mainland United States in November 1996 and became Governor of Washington in January 1997.
- John Liu became the first Asian American elected to the New York City Council (representing Flushing, Queens) in 2001.
- Jimmy Meng became the first Asian American elected to the New York State Legislature in 2004.
- Norman Mineta became the first Asian American in the U.S. Cabinet when Bill Clinton appointed him Secretary of Commerce in 2000, serving in that post until 2001, when George W. Bush appointed him to another Cabinet post (Secretary of Transportation), serving until 2006.
- Patsy Takemoto Mink became the first Asian American woman to serve in Congress, as a representative of Hawaii in 1964; she ended up serving 12 terms.
- Mee Moua became the first Hmong American elected to any state legislature. A Democrat representing St. Paul's East Side, she is the highest ranking Hmong American elected official in the United States in 2002.
- Gordon Quan became the first Asian American male elected to the Houston City Council (1999) in a citywide (at-large) council seat. He was also Houston's first Asian American Mayor Pro Tem, 2002-2004, during Mayor Lee P. Brown's final term in office.[citation needed]
- Dalip Singh Saund became the first Asian immigrant elected to the U.S. Congress upon his election to the House of Representatives in 1956.
- Van Tran was elected a Republican member of the California State Assembly and is the first Vietnamese American to serve in any state legislature in 2004.
- Hubert Vo, a Vietnamese immigrant, became the first Vietnamese American elected to the Texas Legislature in 2004.
- Martha Wong was the first Asian American elected to the Houston City Council (1993 - representing District C). In 2003, she became the first Asian American woman elected to the Texas State Legislature. Wong was unseated in November 2006 from her Texas Legislature seat where her opponent, Ellen Cohen (the president of the Houston Area Women's Center) ran a campaign stating that Wong is representing the Republican Party to her legislative district instead of focusing on the welfare of its constituents.[citation needed]
- Shien Biau Woo became the first Asian American statewide officer in the Northeast, when he was elected Lieutenant Governor of Delaware in 1984.
[edit] Religion - Bruce Reyes-Chow – First American-Born Asian American to be elected moderator of the 2.2 million member Presbyterian Church (USA) in 2008.
- Oscar A. Solis – First Filipino American Roman Catholic bishop in the United States.
- Ignatius C. Wang – First Chinese American to become a bishop in the Catholic Church, as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
- Rajan Zed – Prominent Hindu chaplain who read the first Hindu prayer in United States Senate in Washington DC in 2007.
[edit] Science - Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, 1983 Nobel laureate in Physics.
- Min Chueh Chang, Co-inventor of the combined oral contraceptive pill.
- Kalpana Chawla, astronaut on STS-87 and STS-107; died in 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.
- Shiing-Shen Chern, mathematician and winner of the 1983 Wolf Prize for his work in differential geometry.
- Steven Chu, Nobel laureate in Physics in 1997 for research on cooling and trapping atoms using laser light and the current United States Secretary of Energy.
- David D. Ho, HIV/AIDS researcher
- Har Gobind Khorana, shared the Nobel laureate in “Physiology or Medicine” in 1968 for work in genetics and protein synthesis.
- Tsung-Dao Lee, received the 1957 Nobel Laureate in Physics for work in particle physics along with Chen Ning Yang.
- Yuan T. Lee, 1986 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry
- Yoichiro Nambu, 2008 Nobel laureate in physics
- Ellison Onizuka, astronaut on STS-51-C and STS-51-L; died in 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.
- Terence Tao, mathematician, 2006 Fields Medal winner.
- Roger Y. Tsien, 2008 Nobel Prize winner in chemistry, for the discovery of the green fluorescent protein.
- Daniel Tsui, 1998 Nobel laureate in Physics for contributions to the discovery of the fractional Quantum Hall effect.
- Chien-Shiung Wu, known to many scientists as the "First Lady of Physics".
- Samuel C.C. Ting, 1976 Nobel laureate in physics for discovering the existence of a new particle called j/psi.
- Sunita Williams, astronaut on STS-116 and Expedition 14 to the International Space Station along with Tsung-Dao Lee.
- Chen Ning Yang, received the 1957 Nobel Laureate in Physics for work in particle physics.
- Shing-Tung Yau, mathematician, 1982 Fields Medal winner.
[edit] Sports - Benny Agbayani - former outfielder for New York Mets, Colorado Rockies, and Kansas City Royals
- David Bautista - WWE performer going by the name "Batista."
- Alexi Grewal - Gold Medalist in 1984 Summer Olympics in cycling
- Mohini Bhardwaj - American gymnast and 2004 Olympic silver medalist in the gymnastics team competition.
- Raj Bhavsar - 2008 Olympic bronze medalist in the gymnastics team competition.
- Tedy Bruschi - American football linebacker for the New England Patriots
- Johnny Chan - professional Poker Player
- Vijay Singh - Professional Golfer
- Michael Chang - won tennis' French Open in 1987.
- Tiffany Chin - won the US Figure Skating Championship in 1985.
- Amy Chow - won gold and silver medals in gymnastics during the 1996 Olympics.
- Norm Chow - is the currently offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans after helping lead USC to several NCAA championships as the offensive coordinator there.
- Julie Chu - Olympics hockey player
- Bryan Clay - won the decathlon gold medal in the 2008 Olympics, the silver medal in the 2004 Olympics, and was the sport's 2005 world champion.
- Natalie Coughlin - Olympic gold medalist in swimming.
- Johnny Damon - 2 time All-Star MLB outfielder currently playing for the New York Yankees.
- Toby Dawson - won a 2006 Olympic bronze medal in Men’s Freestyle Skiing.
- Victoria Draves - won gold medals in the 1948 platform and springboard events.
- Mark Foo - professional surfer
- Steven Ho - Martial Artist
- Ivana Hong - American gymnast
- Rena Inoue - first place in the 2004 and 2006 U.S. Figure Skating Championships (pairs).
- Haley Ishimatsu American platform diver and member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team.
- Natasha Kai American soccer player and part of the gold medal winning team in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
- Evelyn Kawamoto won two Olympic bronze medals in swimming in 1952.[15]
- Anthony Kim American professional golfer and part of the winning USA team in the 2008 Ryder Cup
- Ford Konno former world record holder, two-time Olympic gold medalist, two-time Olympic silver medalist in swimming (1952 and 1956).
- Tommy Kono former world record holder, two-time Olympic gold medalist and Olympic silver medalist in weightlifting (1952, 1956, and 1960).
- Michelle Kwan has won nine national championships and five world titles, as well as two Olympic medals (silver in 1998, bronze in 2002).
- Jeanette Lee pool player
- Sammy Lee became the first Asian American to earn an Olympic Gold Medal, when he won in platform diving in both 1948 and 1952.
- Wataru Misaka broke the NBA color barrier in the 1947-48 season, when he played for the New York Knicks.
- Mirai Nagasu, won the singles title at the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
- Hikaru Nakamura became the youngest American ever to earn the titles of National Master (age 10) and International Grandmaster (age 15) in chess.
- Dat Nguyen was an All-American linebacker at Texas A&M University and later became the first Vietnamese American in the National Football League.
- Apolo Anton Ohno won five Olympic medals in short-track speed skating (two gold) in 2002 and 2006, as well as a world cup championship.
- Takahiro Omori, sportfisherman
- Yoshinobu Oyakawa former world record holder and 1952 Olympic gold medalist in the 100-meter backstroke.
- Harold Sakata won a weightlifting silver medal in the 1948 Olympics
- Eric Sato won an 1988 Olympic gold medal in volleyball
- Liane Sato won an 1992 Olympic bronze medal in volleyball
- Eric Spoelstra head coach of the Miami Heat[citation needed]
- Kevin Tan American gymnast and part of the bronze medal winning team in the 2008 Beijing Olympics
- Sonya Thomas is one of the world's top competitive eaters.
- Brandon Vera UFC fighter
- Hines Ward was the MVP of Super Bowl XL while playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
- Michelle Wie, golfer
- Tiger Woods, golfer
- Kristi Yamaguchi won three national figureskating championships, two world titles, and the 1992 Olympic Gold medal.
- Tabitha Yim American gymnast
- Caroline Zhang American figure skater and 2007 Junior World Champion.
[edit] See also - ^ Chamers, Veronica (2000-01-23). "Lucy Liu: Embracing a new definition of American beauty". USA Weekend. http://www.usaweekend.com/00_issues/000123/000123lucyliu.html. Retrieved 2006-11-29.
- ^ "OUTSTANDING ASIAN AMERICANS AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS". The College World Report. http://cwrmagonline.com/OutstandingAPAs.aspx. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
- ^ "Memorial Advisory Board". National WWII Memorial. http://www.wwiimemorial.com/archives/factsheets/memorialadvisory.asp?thispage=factsheet. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
- ^ Alpert, Bruce (April 24, 2007). "FEMA waived its own advice". The Times-Picayune (nola.com). http://blog.nola.com/times-picayune/2007/04/fema_waived_its_own_advice.html. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
- ^ Gaco-Escalera, Catherine (May 15, 2009). "What Asian Pacific American Heritage Month means to me". www.kaiserslauternamerican.com (AdvantiPro GmbH). http://www.kaiserslauternamerican.com/article.php?i=10190. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
- ^ One Philippines
- ^ Pierce College Foundation
- ^ http://www.facesseattle.org/docs/2007ConfBiosSummary.pdf
- ^ Charles Ames (August 2002), COL Oscar Hilman Appointed New Commander For Key Washington Army National Guard Unit, washingtonarmyguard.org, http://washingtonarmyguard.org/news/archive/fo-hilman.shtml
- ^ "Leadership". United States Army Reserve. http://www.armyreserve.army.mil/USARC/DIV-IT/0104DIV-IT/Bio_Regua.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
- ^ "Reserve general nominations" (News Article). Army Times. 2008-07-25. http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/07/army_res_generals_072508w/. Retrieved 2008-12-13.
- ^ "Military: First Sikh to be inducted into the United States Army at Fort Lewis, Wa". Spiritual Science Foundation. Dr. Bhagat Singh Thind. 2008. http://www.bhagatsinghthind.com/military_thind.php. Retrieved 27 October 2009.
- ^ Naval Medicine Support Command (24 September 2009). "Support Command welcomes new commander". dcmilitary.com (Comprint Military Publications). http://www.dcmilitary.com/stories/092409/journal_28181.shtml. Retrieved 6 October 2009.
- ^ "Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Features Notable Asian Americans". Newsroom. District of Columbia. 15 May 2009. http://newsroom.dc.gov/show.aspx/agency/apia/section/2/release/17071/year/2009. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
- ^ "Sports Reference: Evelyn Kawamoto". http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ka/evelyn-kawamoto-1.html. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
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