Hiram Leong Fong | |||
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Former U.S. Senator from Hawaii From: August 21, 1959 – January 3, 1977 | |||
Predecessor | (none, seat established) | ||
Successor | Spark Matsunaga | ||
Former Speaker of the Hawaii House of Representatives From: 1948–1954 | |||
Predecessor | Manuel Paschoal | ||
Successor | Charles E. Kauhane | ||
Former State Representative from Hawaii's 5th District From: 1938–1954 | |||
Predecessor | ??? | ||
Successor | ??? | ||
Information | |||
Party | Republican | ||
Spouse(s) | Ellyn Lo | ||
Religion | Congregationalist | ||
Military Service | |||
Allegiance | United States | ||
Service/branch | United States Army | ||
Rank | Major | ||
Unit | United States Army Air Forces Seventh Air Force | ||
Battles/wars | World War II |
Hiram Leong Fong October 15, 1906 – August 18, 2004) was a Republican U.S. senator from Hawaii from 1959 to 1977, previously serving in the state's lower house. He was mostly known as a Moderate Republican though backed the Vietnam War and supported President Richard Nixon.[1]
After the annexation of Hawaii into the United States, Fong ran for the Class I Senate seat and won, defeating Democrat Frank F. Fasi by seven percentage points.[2] He would win re-election in 1964[3] and 1970.[4]
Fong strongly supported civil rights,[5] voting for the Civil Rights Acts of 1960,[6] 1964[7] 1968,[8] and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.[9]
Along with other Moderate Republicans of his time such as Thomas Kuchel, George Romney, and Nelson Rockefeller, Fong opposed the party nomination of the strongly conservative Barry Goldwater in the 1964 presidential election.[10]
Fong co-sponsored[5] and voted for[11] the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 (also known as the Hart-Celler Act), which effectively replaced the McCarran-Walter Act. The legislation further removed nationality-based restrictions for naturalization and raised the quota cap.
He retired from the Senate in 1976, partially due to jetlag from heading back and forth between the U.S. and Asian countries.[12]
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Categories: [Hawaii] [Republicans] [Former United States Senators] [State Representatives] [Moderate Republicans] [Civil Rights] [Congregationalists] [United States Veterans] [United States Army] [World War II] [Republican Establishment]