Hiram Fong
| Hiram Fong | |
|---|---|
 |
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United States Senator from Hawaii |
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In office August 21, 1959 – January 3, 1977 |
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| Preceded by | Seat established |
| Succeeded by | Spark Matsunaga |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Yau Leong Fong October 15, 1906 Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Died | August 18, 2004 (aged 97) Kahaluu, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Resting place | Oahu Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Ellyn Lo |
| Children | 4 |
| Education |
University of Hawaii, Manoa (BA) Harvard University (LLB) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
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| Service/branch |
 United States Army
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| Years of service | 1942–1945 |
| Rank |
 Major
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| Unit |
 United States Army Air Forces• Hawaiian Air Force |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Hiram Leong Fong (Chinese: ; pinyin: Kuàng Yǒuliáng; Cantonese Yale: Kwong3 Yau5 Leung4), born Yau Leong Fong (October 15, 1906 – August 18, 2004), was an American businessman and politician from Hawaii. He is most notable for his service as Republican United States Senator from 1959 to 1977, and for being the first Asian American and Chinese American to be elected as such. In 1964, Fong became the first Asian American to run for his party's nomination for President of the United States. To date, he is the only Republican to ever hold a Senate seat from Hawaii and the only Asian American to seek the presidential nomination of the Republican Party until Bobby Jindal in the 2016 primaries. Asian-American Patsy Mink, also from Hawaii, sought the nomination as a Democrat in 1972.
Fong was born in the Honolulu neighborhood of Kalihi on the island of Oahu as the seventh of 12 children of father Fong Sau Howe and mother Fong Lum Shee. He attended local public schools and graduated from McKinley High School in 1924.
In 1930, Fong obtained a degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and in 1935 obtained a law degree from Harvard University. He returned to Honolulu and 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". 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.
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