18 Facts About Hiram Fong

At the 1964 Republican National Convention, Hiram Fong became the first Asian-American to receive delegate votes for his party's nomination for President of the United States.

Hiram Fong was born in the Honolulu neighborhood of Kalihi on the island of Oahu as the seventh of 11 children.

Hiram Fong began working at age four picking beans for cattle feed, and by the age of seven was working as a shoeshiner.

Hiram Fong attended local public schools and graduated from McKinley High School in 1924.

In 1930, Hiram Fong obtained a degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and in 1935 obtained a law degree from Harvard Law School.

In 1938, Hiram Fong went into private legal practice and founded the firm of Hiram Fong, Miho, Choy, and Robinson.

Hiram Fong was forced into retirement when the Democratic Party of Hawaii successfully ended a Hawaii Republican Party stronghold over the Hawaii Territorial Legislature by voting most Republican incumbents out of office.

In 1952, along with five other island families, Hiram Fong started Finance Factors, one of the first industrial and consumer loan companies, to service the growing numbers of minorities who were seeking to start new businesses and buy homes.

In office, Fong was generally regarded as a moderate Republican, voting in favor of many of President Lyndon B Johnson's "Great Society" initiatives, such as the establishment of Medicare in 1965.

In 1976, Hiram Fong chose to retire rather than seek reelection, and was succeeded by Democrat Spark Matsunaga.

Hiram Fong was twice honored as Hawaii's favorite son at the Republican National Convention in 1964 and 1968.

Hiram Fong voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1960,1964, and 1968, as well as the 24th Amendment to the US Constitution Hiram Fong supported the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and wrote an amendment to have poll watchers safeguard the election process.

Additionally, Hiram Fong voted in favor the confirmation of Thurgood Marshall to the US Supreme Court.

In 1965, during debate on Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 Hiram Fong answered questions concerning the possible change in US cultural patterns by an influx of Asians:.

Hiram Fong married Ellyn Lo in 1938; they had four children.

Hiram Fong was a Congregationalist and was buried in Nuuanu Memorial Park and Mortuary.

Hiram Fong's papers were donated to the University of Hawaii at Manoa Library in August 1998.

Hiram Fong provided financial support to the preservation and inventorying of over a thousand boxes, crates, and trunks of documents.