Fong, Hiram Leong (1906-2004), a Republican from Hawaii, was the first Asian American to serve in the United States Senate. He held office from 1959 to 1977. As a political leader, he worked to promote harmony among Hawaii’s various ethnic groups.
The son of Chinese immigrants, Fong was born on Oct. 15, 1906, in Honolulu. He went to work at an early age in order to help his family, which included 10 brothers and sisters. He put himself through college, earning a doctorate from Harvard Law School in 1935. In 1942, Fong founded a law firm. Later in 1942, Fong joined the Army Air Forces, where he served as a major until 1944. Fong became wealthy by purchasing real estate and a banana plantation.
Fong served in Hawaii’s territorial House of Representatives from 1938 to 1954. In 1959, when Hawaii became a state, he was elected to one of the state’s first two U.S. Senate seats. He was reelected in 1964 and 1970. Fong was considered a liberal Republican early in his Senate career, but he supported the conservative policies of the Nixon Administration in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Fong died on Aug. 18, 2004.
