Hiram Fong

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Hiram Fong

| image = Senator Hiram Fong of Hawaii, half-length portrait, facing front (cropped).jpg

| caption = Fong in 1976

| jr/sr = United States Senator

| state = Hawaii

| term_start = August 21, 1959

| term_end = January 3, 1977

| predecessor = Seat established

| successor = Spark Matsunaga

| office1 = Speaker of the Hawaii House of Representatives

| term_start1 = 1948

| term_end1 = 1954

| predecessor1 = Manuel Paschoal

| successor1 = Charles E. Kauhane

| state_house2 = Hawaii

| district2 = 5th

| term_start2 = 1938

| term_end2 = 1954

| predecessor2 =

| successor2 =

| birth_name = Yau Leong Fong

| birth_date = {{birth date|1906|10|15}}

| birth_place = Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|2004|8|18|1906|10|15}}

| death_place = Kahaluu, Hawaii, U.S.

| party = Republican

| education = University of Hawaii, Manoa (BA)
Harvard University (LLB)

| occupation = Businessman, lawyer, politician

| spouse = {{marriage|Ellyn Lo|1938}}

| children = 4; including Hiram Fong Jr.

| allegiance = United States

| branch = {{army|United States}}

| serviceyears = 1942–1945

| rank = 18px Major

| unit = 18px United States Army Air Forces
{{*}}Seventh Air Force

| battles = World War II

| module = {{infobox Chinese

|order=ts

|child=yes

|t=鄺友良

|s=邝友良

|p=Kuàng Yǒuliáng

|j=Kwong³ Yau⁵ Leung⁴

|toi=Fong¹ Yiu⁴ liang³}}

| native_name = 鄺友良

| native_name_lang = zh

}}

Hiram Leong Fong (born Yau Leong Fong;{{cite news |last=Nakaso|first=Dan|url=http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/Aug/18/br/br03p.html|title=Hiram Fong dead at 97|work=Honolulu Advertiser|date=August 18, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040910152724/http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/Aug/18/br/br03p.html|archive-date=September 10, 2004|access-date=July 20, 2019}} October 15, 1906 – August 18, 2004) was an American businessman, lawyer, and politician from Hawaii. Born to a Cantonese immigrant sugar plantation worker, Fong was one of the first two senators for Hawaii after it became the 50th US state in 1959. He was the first Chinese American and first Asian American United States Senator, serving from 1959 to 1977, and to date he remains the only Republican U.S. senator from Hawaii.{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13805-2004Aug18.html|title=Hiram Fong Dies; One of First Hawaiian Senators|last=Bernstein|first=Adam|date=August 19, 2004|newspaper=The Washington Post|page=B6|access-date=July 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525013209/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13805-2004Aug18.html|archive-date=May 25, 2017|url-status=live}}

At the 1964 Republican National Convention, Fong became the first Asian American to receive delegate votes for his party's nomination for President of the United States. In the Senate, Fong supported civil rights legislation and eliminating ethnic barriers to immigration.{{Cite news |last=Bernstein |first=Adam |date=August 19, 2004 |title=Hiram Fong Dies |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2004/08/19/hiram-fong-dies/a449dec8-5bcf-4676-8bac-e27f927dd7e1/ |newspaper=The Washington Post}}

Early life and education

Fong was born in the Honolulu neighborhood of Kalihi on the island of Oahu as the seventh of 11 children. His father, Fong Sau Howe, was of Cantonese origin (from modern day Zhuhai) and immigrated to Hawaii in 1872, along with nearly 45,000 other immigrants who would work on sugar plantations. Fong began working at age four picking beans for cattle feed, and by the age of seven was working as a shoeshiner.{{Cite web |title=Hiram Fong, first Asian U.S. senator, dead at 97 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna5751261 |access-date=March 8, 2022 |website=NBC News |date=August 18, 2004 |language=en}}

Fong attended local public schools and graduated from McKinley High School in 1924. Masaji Marumoto, who went on to become the first Japanese-American Justice on the Supreme Court of Hawaii, was a classmate.{{Cite web |title=Hung Wai Ching |url=http://www.javadc.org/hung_wai_ching.htm |access-date=March 9, 2022 |website=Japanese American Veterans Association}} In 1930, Fong obtained a degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and in 1935 obtained a law degree from Harvard Law School.{{cite web |title=Hiram L. Fong Papers – University of Hawaii Manoa Library Website |url=https://manoa.hawaii.edu/library/research/collections/archives/hawaii-congressional-papers-collection/hiram-l-fong-papers/ |access-date=15 March 2023}}

Early career

= Legal and military career =

After returning to Hawaii, Fong worked in the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney of Honolulu. In 1938, Fong went into private legal practice and founded the firm of Fong, Miho, Choy, and Robinson. In 1942, he changed his name to "Hiram", reportedly in honor of Hiram Bingham I, an early Protestant missionary in Hawaii.

During World War II, he served as a Major in the United States Army Air Forces as a Judge Advocate, later retiring as a colonel from the United States Air Force Reserve.{{Cite web|url=http://www.fonggarden.net/homepg/Senator%20Fong.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100524143115/http://www.fonggarden.net/homepg/Senator%20Fong.htm|url-status=usurped|title=Fong Garden biography|archive-date=May 24, 2010|access-date=May 20, 2020}}

= Territorial politics =

The same year he founded his law office, Fong entered elected political life as a member of the Hawaii Territorial House of Representatives where he became Speaker of the House from 1948 to 1954.{{Cite web|url=https://manoa.hawaii.edu/library/research/collections/archives/hawaii-congressional-papers-collection/hiram-l-fong-papers/|title=Hiram L. Fong Papers – University of Hawaii Manoa Library Website|access-date=May 20, 2020}} During this time, he was one of the foremost leaders in the fight to make Hawaii a state. As a territorial legislator, Fong was a delegate to the 1952 Republican National Convention.{{Cite web |last1=December 20 |last2=Brooks |first2=2019 {{!}} Charlotte |title=Numbed with Fear: Chinese Americans and McCarthyism {{!}} American Experience {{!}} PBS |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/mccarthy-numbed-with-fear-chinese-americans/ |access-date=March 8, 2022 |website=www.pbs.org |language=en}}

Fong was forced into retirement when the Democratic Party of Hawaii successfully ended a Hawaii Republican Party stronghold over the Hawaii Territorial Legislature by voting most Republican incumbents out of office. Fong founded several businesses after leaving the legislature.

= Early business ventures =

In 1952, along with five other island families, Hiram Fong started Finance Factors, one of the first industrial and consumer loan companies, to service the growing numbers of minorities who were seeking to start new businesses and buy homes.{{Cite web |title=Senator Hiram L. Fong – first Asian American to serve in the United States Senate |url=http://www.senatorfong.com/finance_factors.html |access-date=May 20, 2020 |website=www.senatorfong.com}}

United States Senate

File:Hiram Fong.jpg

After Hawaii achieved statehood in 1959, Fong became one of the state's first two U.S. Senators, serving alongside popular former Governor Oren E. Long, a Democrat.{{cite web|last=Arakawa|first=Linda|url=http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/Aug/19/ln/ln07a.html|title=First Asian in U.S. Senate broke barriers|work=The Honolulu Advertiser|date=August 19, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040919000641/http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/Aug/19/ln/ln07a.html|archive-date=September 19, 2004|access-date=July 20, 2019}}

According to The Washington Post, Fong's political success can be partially attributed to the support he received from the powerful International Longshore and Warehouse Union. In office, Fong was generally regarded as a moderate Republican, voting in favor of many of President Lyndon B. Johnson's "Great Society" initiatives, such as the establishment of Medicare in 1965.{{Cite web |title=FONG, Hiram Leong {{!}} US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives |url=https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/F/FONG,-Hiram-Leong-(F000245)/ |access-date=March 8, 2022 |website=history.house.gov |language=en}}

In the 1959 election, Fong won against Democrat Frank Fasi by a margin of 52.9 to 47.1%.{{Cite web |title=Our Campaigns – HI US Senate Race – Jul 28, 1959 |url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=2527 |access-date=June 18, 2020 |website=www.ourcampaigns.com}} In 1964, Fong was reelected with 53% of the vote against Democrat Thomas Gill, who received 46.4%.{{Cite web |title=Our Campaigns – HI US Senate Race – Nov 03, 1964 |url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=2526 |website=www.ourcampaigns.com}} Fong was reelected again in 1970 by an even closer margin of 51.6 to 48.4% versus Democrat Cecil Heftel.{{Cite web |title=Our Campaigns – HI US Senate Race – Nov 03, 1970 |url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=2525}} In 1976, Fong chose to retire rather than seek reelection, and was succeeded by Democrat Spark Matsunaga.{{cite web |title=Our Campaigns - HI US Senate Race - Nov 02, 1976 |url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=2524 |website=www.ourcampaigns.com |access-date=15 March 2023}}

File:President Richard Nixon greets Senator Hiram Fong.jpg Richard Nixon greeting Senator Fong in 1972]]

= Party politics =

Fong was twice honored as Hawaii's favorite son at the Republican National Convention in 1964 and 1968.[http://libweb.hawaii.edu/libdept/congressional/fong/exhibit02/fongexhibit02.html Senator Hiram Fong Exhibit] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090918001844/http://libweb.hawaii.edu/libdept/congressional/fong/exhibit02/fongexhibit02.html |date=September 18, 2009 }}, Hawaii Congressional Papers Collection, University of Hawaii. In 1964, he became the first Asian American to receive votes for president at a major party convention, receiving the votes of the Hawaii and Alaska delegations.{{Cite web|url=http://senatorfong.com/|title=Senator Hiram L. Fong – first Asian American to serve in the United States Senate|website=senatorfong.com|access-date=May 20, 2020}} Fong is to date the only Republican to ever serve as a Hawaii U.S. Senator.{{Cite web |date=2022-11-18 |title=Republican leaders from Hawaiʻi's past discuss party politics and power |url=https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/the-conversation/2022-11-17/republican-figures-from-hawaii-discuss-image-party-politics-and-power |access-date=2024-05-07 |website=Hawai'i Public Radio |language=en}}

Fong was booed by an audience for defending George W. Romney, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, in the wake of a real-estate industry scandal.{{cite news |last1=Asbury |first1=Edith |date=May 2, 1972 |title=Senators Told of 'Blockbusting' In a Financial Conspiracy Here |work=The New York Times |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1972/05/02/79467407.pdf |access-date=October 10, 2014}}

In 1960, Richard Nixon remarked that "the American dream is not just a dream, it does come true – Hiram Fong's life proves it" during a visit to Hawaii.{{cite web |title=Remarks of Vice President Nixon, Kamehameha Shopping Center, Honolulu, HI {{!}} The American Presidency Project |url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-vice-president-nixon-kamehameha-shopping-center-honolulu-hi |website=www.presidency.ucsb.edu |access-date=15 March 2023}}

= Civil rights and immigration =

Fong voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1960,{{Cite web |title=HR. 8601. PASSAGE OF AMENDED BILL. – Senate Vote #284 – Apr 8, 1960 |url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/86-1960/s284 |access-date=May 20, 2020 |website=GovTrack.us}} 1964,{{Cite web |title=HR. 7152. PASSAGE. – Senate Vote #409 – Jun 19, 1964 |url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/88-1964/s409 |access-date=May 20, 2020 |website=GovTrack.us}} and 1968,{{Cite web |title=TO PASS H.R. 2516, A BILL TO PROHIBIT DISCRIMINATION IN ... – Senate Vote #346 – Mar 11, 1968 |url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/90-1968/s346 |access-date=May 20, 2020 |website=GovTrack.us}} as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution{{cite web |title=S.J. RES. 29. APPROVAL OF RESOLUTION BANNING THE POLL TAX AS PREREQUISITE FOR VOTING IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS. |url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/87-1962/s226 |work=GovTrack.us}} Fong supported the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and wrote an amendment to have poll watchers safeguard the election process. Additionally, Fong voted in favor the confirmation of Thurgood Marshall to the U.S. Supreme Court.{{cite web |title=CONFIRMATION OF NOMINATION OF THURGOOD MARSHALL, THE FIRST NEGRO APPOINTED TO THE SUPREME COURT. |url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/90-1967/s176 |work=GovTrack.us}}

In 1965, during debate on Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, Fong answered questions concerning the possible change in U.S. cultural patterns by an influx of Asians:

"Asians represent six-tenths of 1 percent of the population of the United States ... concerning Japan, we estimate that there will be a total for the first 5 years of some 5,391 ... the people from that part of the world will never reach 1 percent of the population ...Our cultural pattern will never be changed as far as America is concerned." (U.S. Senate, Subcommittee on Immigration and Naturalization of the Committee on the Judiciary, Washington, D.C., February 10, 1965, pp.71, 119.){{Cite journal|url=https://cis.org/Report/Legacy-1965-Immigration-Act|title=The Legacy of the 1965 Immigration Act|website=CIS.org|date=September 1995 |access-date=May 20, 2020}}

= Foreign policy =

During Nixon's presidency, Fong was a vocal supporter of the Vietnam War, which reportedly left many Asian-American constituents displeased. According to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Fong's support for the Vietnam War led to him losing votes in the 1970 election, his last reelection campaign.{{Cite web |last=Apgar |first=Sally |date=August 19, 2004 |title=Hawaii Icon – The senator's rich life mirrored the ambitions of a brash young state |url=http://archives.starbulletin.com/2004/08/19/news/story1.html |access-date=March 10, 2022 |website=Honolulu Star-Bulletin}}

Personal life and legacy

Fong married Ellyn Lo in 1938; they had four children. After retiring from the Senate, Fong faced financial and legal difficulties, including several lawsuits with a son over the family's businesses that forced him and his wife to declare bankruptcy in 2003. They managed a botanical garden of {{convert|725|acre|ha}} that was opened to the public in 1988.[http://www.senatorfong.com/bio_sketch.html Biographical sketch] senatorfong.com

On August 18, 2004, Hiram Fong died of kidney failure at his home in Honolulu; he was the last living former U.S. senator born in the 1900s decade.{{cite web|title=Hiram Fong Dies|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2004/08/19/hiram-fong-dies/a449dec8-5bcf-4676-8bac-e27f927dd7e1/|author=Bernstein, Adam|website=washingtonpost.com|date=August 19, 2004|access-date=March 27, 2022}}

Fong was a Congregationalist and was buried in Nuuanu Memorial Park and Mortuary.United States Congress. [http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=f000245 "Hiram Fong (id: F000245)".] Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

= Papers =

Fong's papers were donated to the University of Hawaii at Manoa Library in August 1998. Fong also provided financial support to the preservation and inventorying of over a thousand boxes, crates, and trunks of documents. Within them included papers, photos, videos, and memorabilia from Fong's congressional tenure and pre-political life, including law-school notes. Included in the collection are series of Washington, D.C., and Hawaii office files, Post Office and Civil Service Committee (POCS) materials, and political souvenirs.

Approximately 80 boxes of books accompanied Fong's papers, several dedicated his work on Senate committees such as the POCS. A few of the books were kept with the congressional collection, though the majority were added to the university library. A gift book plate was designed for these incorporating the senator's noted signature. The papers were processed in 2003 by archivist Dee Hazelrigg, and are available to researchers by appointment.

References

External links

{{Find a Grave|9335016|Hiram Leong Fong}}
[https://history.house.gov/People/Detail/15032451315 FONG, Hiram Leong | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives]

{{s-ttl|title=Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from Hawaii
(Class 1)|years=1959, 1964, 1970}}