This Day In History: 0000-08-25
1959 – “Asian American Elected to U.S. Senate for First Time
” Hiram Fong, who was one of Hawaii’s most prominent and successful businessmen at the time, was elected to represent Hawaii in the U.S. Senate. He became the first Asian American elected to the legislative body. He was also the first Asian American to seek the Republican party’s nomination for resident of the United States. Fong was the first in a long line of Asian American elected officials to represent Hawaii, including Daniel Inouye, Daniel Akaka and Mazie Hirono.
November 18, 1945 - "Wilma Mankiller, First Female Chief of the Cherokee Nation, is Born"
Wilma Mankiller, who served as the Chief of the Cherokee Nation for ten years from 1985 to 1995, was born in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. In 1985, Mankiller became the first female Chief of the Cherokee Nation. Before serving in this capacity, she served as the deputy chief of the Cherokee Nation for two years, getting elected to the post in 1983. Mankiller became the Chief when Ross Swimmer died in 1985, but was elected to the post in 1987 and then reelected in 1991. Under the U.S. federal policy of Native American self-determination, Mankiller improved federal-tribal negotiations.