David Oh (politician)
| David Oh | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Philadelphia City Council Councilman At-Large (citywide) | |
|
Assumed office January 2, 2012 |
|
| Preceded by | Jack Kelly |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
March 8, 1960 Southwest Philadelphia |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Heesun |
| Children | Hannah, Joshua, Daniel, Sarah |
| Alma mater |
Dickinson College Rutgers Law School (Camden) |
| Website | davidoh |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1988–1996 |
| Rank | First Lieutenant |
David H. Oh is a member of the City Council of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Oh was elected in November 2011 and re-elected in November 2015, and was the first Asian-American elected to public office in Philadelphia. He is the only U.S. military veteran currently serving on the city council.
Oh was born in Philadelphia. He has lived on the same block in Southwest Philadelphia since 1963. Oh's father, the late Rev. Ki Hang Oh, founded Philadelphia’s first Korean-American church in 1953 and served as its Pastor until his death in 2006. In 1958, Oh’s cousin, In Ho Oh, a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania, was murdered by a group of teenage boys while mailing a letter to his parents. Because of their faith, In Ho Oh’s parents requested leniency for the boys and started a fund to help educate and rehabilitate them upon their release. Rev. Oh started a community service center in his name. In Ho Oh is buried at historic Old Pine Cemetery where his tombstone simply reads, “To turn sorrow into Christian purpose.” Oh attended public school except for his freshman year of high school when he attended Christopher Dock Mennonite High School, Lansdale, PA. He transferred to Central High School, Philadelphia, PA where he received his High School Diploma. Oh graduated from Dickinson College and Rutgers University's Law School-Camden.
While in law school, Oh started a volunteer free legal services program for indigent Asian Americans and immigrants. For this and other works, Oh received a Human Rights Award from the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations. Upon graduation from law school, Oh worked for three years as an Assistant District Attorney in Philadelphia. In 1988, Oh resigned from the District Attorney's Office to join the U.S. Army and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant and served in the 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Army National Guard. Upon his return to Philadelphia after completing military training, Oh volunteered for the next year providing free legal services full-time. Oh opened his solo law practice in 1990. Several months later, he closed his practice when he was activated with the 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne) for Operation Desert Storm. The war ended quickly before he was deployed. Oh returned to Philadelphia and re-opened his law practice. David Oh was also arrested in the 1990s on a gun charges stemming from an incident involving hookers. Oh's law practice grew and he incorporated it as The Law Firm David Oh, PC. In 2008, Oh merged his law firm into Zarwin Baum DeVito Kaplan Schaer Toddy, PC. Oh was elected to Philadelphia City Council in 2011 for a four-year term. Oh continued his relationship with Zarwin Baum until February 2015 when he resigned from the firm. He has not been affiliated with a law firm since then. Oh was re-elected to a second term in November 2015 and sworn-in on January 4, 2016. Oh is Minority Whip and Chairman of Council's Committee on Global Opportunities and the Creative/Innovative Economy.
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