Norman Y. Mineta
From The Space Library
The Honorable Norman Y. Mineta
Secretary Norman Y. Mineta and his family were among the 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry forced from into internment camps during World War II. After graduating from the University of California at Berkeley, Secretary Mineta joined the Army in 1953 and served as an intelligence officer in Japan and Korea. He joined his father in the Mineta Insurance Agency before entering politics in California in 1967, later becoming the first Asian Pacific American mayor of a major U.S. city. Prior to joining President Bush's administration as Secretary of Transportation (Created in 1967, the U.S. Department of Transportation brought under one umbrella air, maritime and surface transportation missions.), Secretary Mineta served as U.S. Secretary of Commerce under President Clinton. He was vice president of Lockheed Martin Corporation prior to joining the Commerce Department, has served as a member of U.S. House of Representatives and has chaired the National Civil Aviation Review Commission.
