Bob Matsui
Encyclopedia
Robert Takeo Matsui was an American
politician
from the state
of California
. Matsui was a member of the Democratic Party
and served in the U.S. House of Representatives
as the congressman
for California's 5th congressional district
until his death midway through his 14th consecutive term.
, Matsui was born in Sacramento, California
, and was six months old when he and his family were taken from Sacramento and interned
by the U.S. government at the Tule Lake War Relocation Center
in 1942.
Matsui graduated from the University of California, Berkeley
in 1963 with a BA
in political science, and then graduated from Hastings College of Law in 1966. He founded his own Sacramento law practice in 1967.
. He won re-election in 1975 and became vice mayor of the city in 1977. In the 1978 election, Matsui ran for the House and won.
In 1988, Matsui succeeded in helping pass the Civil Liberties Act of 1988
, which produced an official apology from the Federal government for the World War II
internment program
and offered token compensation to victims. He was also instrumental in the designation of Manzanar internment camp as a national historic site and in obtaining land in Washington, D.C.
for the memorial to Japanese-American patriotism in World War II.
He was a chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
, ranking member
of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, and third-ranking Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee. During his term he was noted for his staunch opposition to privatization of Social Security
. He had a mostly liberal voting record having opposed the Defense of Marriage Act, the ban on partial-birth abortions, and the Private Securities and Litigations Reform Act.
In the 2004 federal election, he faced Republican
Mike Dugas
as his strongest opponent in the general election for the 5th congressional district. Matsui was re-elected to office with 71.4% of the vote, compared to Dugas' 23.4%. Green Party
opponent Pat Driscoll and John Reiger of the Peace and Freedom Party
won 3.4% and 1.8% of the vote, respectively. (DCCC chairs are chosen in part because they are not expected to face serious competition for re-election.)
who, until December 1998, worked as deputy assistant to the President
and Deputy Director of Public Liaison for President Bill Clinton
, leaving to become senior advisor and director of government relations at the firm of Collier Shannon Scott, PLLC before winning election to her late husband's seat. The Matsuis had one son, Brian, who received his undergraduate and law degrees from Stanford University
.
. It was a complication from Myelodysplastic syndrome
, a rare stem cell
disorder that causes an inability of the bone marrow
to produce blood products, such as red blood cell
s, white blood cell
s and platelet
s. He died on January 1, 2005, at 10:10 p.m. EDT.
won with more than 68 percent of the vote. She was sworn in on March 10, 2005.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
from the state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Matsui was a member of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
and served in the U.S. House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
as the congressman
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
for California's 5th congressional district
California's 5th congressional district
California's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. It currently covers the city of Sacramento, the state capital, its suburbs and the surrounding area....
until his death midway through his 14th consecutive term.
Early life
A third-generation Japanese AmericanJapanese American
are American people of Japanese heritage. Japanese Americans have historically been among the three largest Asian American communities, but in recent decades have become the sixth largest group at roughly 1,204,205, including those of mixed-race or mixed-ethnicity...
, Matsui was born in Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
, and was six months old when he and his family were taken from Sacramento and interned
Japanese American internment
Japanese-American internment was the relocation and internment by the United States government in 1942 of approximately 110,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese who lived along the Pacific coast of the United States to camps called "War Relocation Camps," in the wake of Imperial Japan's attack on...
by the U.S. government at the Tule Lake War Relocation Center
Tule Lake War Relocation Center
Tule Lake Segregation Center National Monument was an internment camp in the northern California town of Newell near Tule Lake. It was used in the Japanese American internment during World War II. It was the largest and most controversial of the camps, and did not close until after the war, in...
in 1942.
Matsui graduated from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
in 1963 with a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in political science, and then graduated from Hastings College of Law in 1966. He founded his own Sacramento law practice in 1967.
Political career
In 1971 Matsui was elected to the Sacramento City CouncilSacramento City Council
The Sacramento City Council is the governing body of the city of Sacramento, California. The council holds regular meetings at Sacramento City Hall on Tuesdays at 2:00 pm and 6:00 pm, with exceptions for holidays and other special cases....
. He won re-election in 1975 and became vice mayor of the city in 1977. In the 1978 election, Matsui ran for the House and won.
In 1988, Matsui succeeded in helping pass the Civil Liberties Act of 1988
Civil Liberties Act of 1988
The Civil Liberties Act of 1988 is a United States federal law that granted reparations to Japanese-Americans who had been interned by the United States government during World War II. The act was sponsored by California's Democratic Congressman Norman Mineta, an internee as a child, and Wyoming's...
, which produced an official apology from the Federal government for the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
internment program
Japanese American internment
Japanese-American internment was the relocation and internment by the United States government in 1942 of approximately 110,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese who lived along the Pacific coast of the United States to camps called "War Relocation Camps," in the wake of Imperial Japan's attack on...
and offered token compensation to victims. He was also instrumental in the designation of Manzanar internment camp as a national historic site and in obtaining land in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
for the memorial to Japanese-American patriotism in World War II.
He was a chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States House of Representatives, working to elect Democrats to that body. They play a critical role in recruiting candidates, raising funds, and organizing races in districts that are expected to yield...
, ranking member
Ranking member
In United States politics, a ranking member is the second-most senior member of a congressional or state legislative committee from the majority party. Another usage refers to the most senior member of a congressional or state legislative committee from the minority party. This second usage, often...
of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, and third-ranking Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee. During his term he was noted for his staunch opposition to privatization of Social Security
Social Security (United States)
In the United States, Social Security refers to the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program.The original Social Security Act and the current version of the Act, as amended encompass several social welfare and social insurance programs...
. He had a mostly liberal voting record having opposed the Defense of Marriage Act, the ban on partial-birth abortions, and the Private Securities and Litigations Reform Act.
In the 2004 federal election, he faced Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Mike Dugas
Mike Dugas
Mike Dugas was the 2004 Republican Party candidate for California's 5th Congressional District. This seat was held by Rep. Bob Matsui prior to his death on January 1, 2005 and is now held by his widow...
as his strongest opponent in the general election for the 5th congressional district. Matsui was re-elected to office with 71.4% of the vote, compared to Dugas' 23.4%. Green Party
Green Party (United States)
The Green Party of the United States is a nationally recognized political party which officially formed in 1991. It is a voluntary association of state green parties. Prior to national formation, many state affiliates had already formed and were recognized by other state parties...
opponent Pat Driscoll and John Reiger of the Peace and Freedom Party
Peace and Freedom Party (United States)
The Peace and Freedom Party is a minor political party in California. Its first candidates appeared on the ballot in 1966, but the national party was officially founded in 1967 as a left-wing organization opposed to the Vietnam War. The party nominated Ralph Nader for President in the 2008 U.S...
won 3.4% and 1.8% of the vote, respectively. (DCCC chairs are chosen in part because they are not expected to face serious competition for re-election.)
Personal life
He was married to the former Doris OkadaDoris Matsui
Doris Okada Matsui is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district consists of the city of Sacramento and the surrounding area...
who, until December 1998, worked as deputy assistant to the President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
and Deputy Director of Public Liaison for President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, leaving to become senior advisor and director of government relations at the firm of Collier Shannon Scott, PLLC before winning election to her late husband's seat. The Matsuis had one son, Brian, who received his undergraduate and law degrees from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
.
Death
Matsui entered Bethesda Naval Hospital on December 24, 2004 with pneumoniaPneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
. It was a complication from Myelodysplastic syndrome
Myelodysplastic syndrome
The myelodysplastic syndromes are a diverse collection of hematological medical conditions that involve ineffective production of the myeloid class of blood cells....
, a rare stem cell
Stem cell
This article is about the cell type. For the medical therapy, see Stem Cell TreatmentsStem cells are biological cells found in all multicellular organisms, that can divide and differentiate into diverse specialized cell types and can self-renew to produce more stem cells...
disorder that causes an inability of the bone marrow
Bone marrow
Bone marrow is the flexible tissue found in the interior of bones. In humans, bone marrow in large bones produces new blood cells. On average, bone marrow constitutes 4% of the total body mass of humans; in adults weighing 65 kg , bone marrow accounts for approximately 2.6 kg...
to produce blood products, such as red blood cell
Red blood cell
Red blood cells are the most common type of blood cell and the vertebrate organism's principal means of delivering oxygen to the body tissues via the blood flow through the circulatory system...
s, white blood cell
White blood cell
White blood cells, or leukocytes , are cells of the immune system involved in defending the body against both infectious disease and foreign materials. Five different and diverse types of leukocytes exist, but they are all produced and derived from a multipotent cell in the bone marrow known as a...
s and platelet
Platelet
Platelets, or thrombocytes , are small,irregularly shaped clear cell fragments , 2–3 µm in diameter, which are derived from fragmentation of precursor megakaryocytes. The average lifespan of a platelet is normally just 5 to 9 days...
s. He died on January 1, 2005, at 10:10 p.m. EDT.
Succession by his wife
In the special election held on March 8, 2005 to fill the vacant 5th Congressional District seat, Matsui's widow DorisDoris Matsui
Doris Okada Matsui is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district consists of the city of Sacramento and the surrounding area...
won with more than 68 percent of the vote. She was sworn in on March 10, 2005.
External links
- Robert T. Matsui Legacy Project Road to Redress and Reparations at CSU Sacramento
- Campaign finance data from the 2004 election
- Robert T. Matsui Annual Writing Competition at Asian Pacific American Bar Association Educational FundAsian Pacific American Bar Association Educational FundThe Asian Pacific American Bar Association Educational Fund is a non-profit organization established by the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of the Greater Washington, D.C. Area, Inc. in 1993 to engage exclusively in charitable and educational activities. In 2005, AEF established the...