David Wu
Encyclopedia
David Wu is an American
politician who served as the U.S. representative
for from 1999 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party
.
The district includes most of Portland
west of the Willamette River
, as well as all of Yamhill
, Columbia
, Clatsop
, and Washington
Counties. As a child of immigrants from Taiwan
, Wu was the first Chinese American
to serve in the House of Representatives. In the wake of accusations that he made unwanted sexual advances on the daughter of a campaign donor and friend, Wu announced that he would resign from office following resolution of the 2011 US debt ceiling crisis; he submitted his resignation on August 3, 2011. A special election
will be held in January 2012 to fill the vacancy in advance of the regular 2012 election
.
, Taiwan
. His parents were from Suzhou
in Jiangsu
province in China
and settled in Taiwan due to the Chinese Civil War
. The family moved to the United States
in 1961. Wu spent his first two years in the U.S. in Latham, New York
, where his family were the only Asian American
s in town.
Wu received a bachelor of science
degree from Stanford University
in 1977 and attended Harvard Medical School
for a time, sharing an apartment with future-United States Senator Bill Frist
. Wu did not complete his medical studies. Instead, he attended Yale Law School
where he was awarded a Juris Doctor
degree in 1982. Next, he served as a clerk for a federal judge and then co-founded the law firm of Cohen & Wu. The firm focused on representing clients in Oregon's high-tech development sector, centered on "Silicon Forest
."
(NDC), a group of moderate Democrats in the House. In 2009, he received a 100 percent rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America
. He was also a member of the Executive Board for the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
and served as Chair from January 2001 to January 2004.
. He narrowly defeated Republican Molly Bordonaro by a little over 7,100 votes. He won re-election in 2000, defeating state senator Charles Starr
in the November election with 58% of the vote to 39% for Starr.
Wu won re-election in 2004 over Republican Goli Ameri
; in 2006
over Oregon state representative Derrick Kitts
and two minor party candidates; and in 2008
with no Republican candidate running, he captured 71% of the vote to win a sixth term over four minor party candidates. He faced his most difficult reelection test in 2010
, defeating Republican challenger Rob Cornilles
with 54% of the vote.
reported that an 18 year old woman accused Wu of an aggressive, unwanted sexual encounter. The teenager is the daughter of a longtime friend and campaign donor. Wu admitted the encounter but said it was consensual. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi
called for an ethics investigation into the allegations. Wu initially indicated that he would not resign but would also not seek reelection in 2012. Several days later, however, Wu announced he would resign following resolution of the 2011 US debt ceiling crisis. He resigned on August 3, 2011.
.
Three weeks prior to the 2004 elections, The Oregonian
published an article reporting that Wu had been accused of sexually assaulting
an ex-girlfriend while attending Stanford. Stanford made Wu attend counseling, and he was disciplined by the university in 1976. Criminal charges were never filed, but the story prompted Wu to hold a press conference apologizing for "inexcusable behavior".
In February 2011, Willamette Week
and later The Oregonian
reported that, in the runup to the November 2010 election, Wu began behaving erratically and that staffers "demanded he enter a hospital for psychiatric treatment." The erratic behavior that triggered the staff's departure was reported to be no single incident but rather a pattern of behavior that included Wu's emailing his staff photos of himself in a tiger suit.
After Wu won re-election, at least six of his staffers left, including his longtime chief of staff and his communications director. In a statement, Wu acknowledged he has sought "professional medical care" and attributed the problems to the stress of being a single father, the death of his father, and his political campaign. The Oregonian has reported that a campaign contributor gave Wu a prescription painkiller, identified by the staffer present as oxycodone
to help alleviate an episode of severe neck pain. Willamette Week quoted the donor as saying the pills were ibuprofen. Wu has admitted taking the painkiller, saying that it was an act of bad judgment, but claiming that he did not know what it was.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician who served as the U.S. representative
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...
for from 1999 to 2011. He is 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...
.
The district includes most of Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
west of the Willamette River
Willamette River
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
, as well as all of Yamhill
Yamhill County, Oregon
-National protected areas:*Siuslaw National Forest *Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 84,992 people, 28,732 households, and 21,376 families residing in the county. The population density was 119 people per square mile . There were 30,270...
, Columbia
Columbia County, Oregon
Columbia County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It was named for the Columbia River, which forms its eastern and northern borders. As of 2010, its population was 49,351. The county seat is St. Helens.-Economy:...
, Clatsop
Clatsop County, Oregon
Clatsop County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The county is named for the Clatsop tribe of Native Americans, who lived along the coast of the Pacific Ocean prior to European settlement. As of 2010, the population was 37,039. The county seat is Astoria.-Economy:The principal...
, and Washington
Washington County, Oregon
- Major highways :* Interstate 5* Interstate 205* U.S. Route 26* Oregon Route 6* Oregon Route 8* Oregon Route 10* Oregon Route 47* Oregon Route 99W* Oregon Route 210* Oregon Route 217* Oregon Route 219-Demographics:...
Counties. As a child of immigrants from Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, Wu was the first Chinese American
Chinese American
Chinese Americans represent Americans of Chinese descent. Chinese Americans constitute one group of overseas Chinese and also a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans...
to serve in the House of Representatives. In the wake of accusations that he made unwanted sexual advances on the daughter of a campaign donor and friend, Wu announced that he would resign from office following resolution of the 2011 US debt ceiling crisis; he submitted his resignation on August 3, 2011. A special election
Oregon's 1st congressional district special election, 2012
A 2012 special election in Oregon's 1st congressional district will be held on January 31, 2012 to fill a seat in the U.S. Congress for Oregon's 1st congressional district, following the resignation of Representative David Wu...
will be held in January 2012 to fill the vacancy in advance of the regular 2012 election
United States House of Representatives elections in Oregon, 2012
The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Oregon will be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 to elect the five U.S. Representatives from the state of Oregon, apportioned according to the 2010 United States Census. The elections will coincide with the elections of other federal and...
.
Early life, education and career
Wu was born in HsinchuHsinchu
Hsinchu City is a city in northern Taiwan. Hsinchu is popularly nicknamed "The Windy City" for its windy climate.Hsinchu City is administered as a special municipality within Taiwan . The city is bordered by Hsinchu County to the north and east, Miaoli County to the south, and the Taiwan Strait...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. His parents were from Suzhou
Suzhou
Suzhou , previously transliterated as Su-chou, Suchow, and Soochow, is a major city located in the southeast of Jiangsu Province in Eastern China, located adjacent to Shanghai Municipality. The city is situated on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Taihu Lake and is a part...
in Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
province in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and settled in Taiwan due to the Chinese Civil War
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...
. The family moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1961. Wu spent his first two years in the U.S. in Latham, New York
Latham, New York
Latham is a hamlet in Albany County, New York, United States. It is located along U.S. Route 9 in the town of Colonie, a dense suburb north of Albany.-History:...
, where his family were the only Asian American
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
s in town.
Wu received a bachelor of science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree 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...
in 1977 and attended Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
for a time, sharing an apartment with future-United States Senator Bill Frist
Bill Frist
William Harrison "Bill" Frist, Sr. is an American physician, businessman, and politician. He began his career as an heir and major stockholder to the for-profit hospital chain of Hospital Corporation of America. Frist later served two terms as a Republican United States Senator representing...
. Wu did not complete his medical studies. Instead, he attended Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
where he was awarded a Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree in 1982. Next, he served as a clerk for a federal judge and then co-founded the law firm of Cohen & Wu. The firm focused on representing clients in Oregon's high-tech development sector, centered on "Silicon Forest
Silicon Forest
Silicon Forest is a nickname for the cluster of high-tech companies located in the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. states of Oregon and Southwest Washington, and most frequently refers to the industrial corridor between Beaverton and Hillsboro in northwest Oregon.The name is similar to...
."
Committee assignments
- Committee on Education and Labor
- Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training
- Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and PensionsUnited States House Education Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and PensionsThe House Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions is a standing subcommittee within the United States House Committee on Education and the Workforce...
- Committee on Science, Space and Technology
- Subcommittee on Space and AeronauticsUnited States House Science Subcommittee on Space and AeronauticsThe Science Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics is one of five subcommittees of the United States House Committee on Science and Technology.- Jurisdiction :...
- Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation (Ranking Member)
- Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics
Tenure
Wu was a member of the New Democrat CoalitionNew Democrat Coalition
The New Democrat Coalition is a Congressional Member Organization within the United States Congress made up of Democrats who support an agenda that the organization describes as moderate and pro-growth. A July 2009 Press release described the organization as "the largest moderate coalition in the U.S...
(NDC), a group of moderate Democrats in the House. In 2009, he received a 100 percent rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America
NARAL Pro-Choice America
NARAL Pro-Choice America , formerly the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws, then National Abortion Rights Action League, and later National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League, is an organization in the United States that engages in political action to oppose...
. He was also a member of the Executive Board for the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus founded on May 16, 1994, by former Congressman Norman Mineta, is a bicameral caucus consisting of members of the United States Congress who have a strong interest in promoting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders issues and advocating the concerns of...
and served as Chair from January 2001 to January 2004.
Elections
Wu was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1998, succeeding Democrat Elizabeth FurseElizabeth Furse
Elizabeth Furse is a small business owner and faculty member of Portland State University. She was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1993 to 1999, representing Oregon's 1st congressional district...
. He narrowly defeated Republican Molly Bordonaro by a little over 7,100 votes. He won re-election in 2000, defeating state senator Charles Starr
Charles Starr
Charles Starr is an American politician and farmer in Oregon. He served as a Republican member of the Oregon Legislature for 14 years, serving in both houses...
in the November election with 58% of the vote to 39% for Starr.
Wu won re-election in 2004 over Republican Goli Ameri
Goli Ameri
Goli Ameri is an Iranian-American diplomat, politician and businesswoman from the U.S. state of Oregon. She is the current Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Values and Diplomacy for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. She is also the former U.S...
; in 2006
United States House of Representatives elections in Oregon, 2006
The United States House of Representatives elections in Oregon, 2006 were held on November 7, 2006 to select Oregon's representatives to the United States House of Representatives. All five seats were up for election in 2006, as they are every two years...
over Oregon state representative Derrick Kitts
Derrick Kitts
Derrick Kitts is a Republican politician from Hillsboro in the U.S. state of Oregon.Kitts served as a field director for U.S. Representative Rick White and was a member of the Oregon House of Representatives, representing Oregon's 30th district, and served as the Majority Whip and Chairman of the...
and two minor party candidates; and in 2008
United States House of Representatives elections in Oregon, 2008
The United States House of Representatives elections in Oregon, 2008 were held on November 4, 2008, to determine who will represent the state of Oregon in the United States House of Representatives, coinciding with the presidential and senatorial elections...
with no Republican candidate running, he captured 71% of the vote to win a sixth term over four minor party candidates. He faced his most difficult reelection test in 2010
United States House of Representatives elections in Oregon, 2010
The United States House of Representatives elections in Oregon, 2010 were held on November 2, 2010, to determine who would represent the state of Oregon in the United States House of Representatives. Oregon has five seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States Census. All...
, defeating Republican challenger Rob Cornilles
Rob Cornilles
Robert Young Cornilles is an American businessman and politician in the U.S. state of Oregon. A Republican, he is currently a candidate for the United States House of Representatives, representing Oregon's 1st congressional district...
with 54% of the vote.
Resignation
On July 22, 2011, The OregonianThe Oregonian
The Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850...
reported that an 18 year old woman accused Wu of an aggressive, unwanted sexual encounter. The teenager is the daughter of a longtime friend and campaign donor. Wu admitted the encounter but said it was consensual. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi is the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives and served as the 60th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011...
called for an ethics investigation into the allegations. Wu initially indicated that he would not resign but would also not seek reelection in 2012. Several days later, however, Wu announced he would resign following resolution of the 2011 US debt ceiling crisis. He resigned on August 3, 2011.
Personal life
Wu married Michelle Maxine Wu in 1996, and they have two children. In December 2009, he filed for separation from his wife, citing irreconcilable differencesIrreconcilable differences
The concept of irreconcilable differences provides a possible ground for divorce in a number of jurisdictions.In Australian family law with no-fault divorce it is the sole ground, adequate proof being that the estranged couple have been separated more than 12 months.In the United States it can be...
.
Three weeks prior to the 2004 elections, The Oregonian
The Oregonian
The Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850...
published an article reporting that Wu had been accused of sexually assaulting
Sexual assault
Sexual assault is an assault of a sexual nature on another person, or any sexual act committed without consent. Although sexual assaults most frequently are by a man on a woman, it may involve any combination of two or more men, women and children....
an ex-girlfriend while attending Stanford. Stanford made Wu attend counseling, and he was disciplined by the university in 1976. Criminal charges were never filed, but the story prompted Wu to hold a press conference apologizing for "inexcusable behavior".
In February 2011, Willamette Week
Willamette Week
Willamette Week is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Portland, Oregon, United States. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business and culture....
and later The Oregonian
The Oregonian
The Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850...
reported that, in the runup to the November 2010 election, Wu began behaving erratically and that staffers "demanded he enter a hospital for psychiatric treatment." The erratic behavior that triggered the staff's departure was reported to be no single incident but rather a pattern of behavior that included Wu's emailing his staff photos of himself in a tiger suit.
After Wu won re-election, at least six of his staffers left, including his longtime chief of staff and his communications director. In a statement, Wu acknowledged he has sought "professional medical care" and attributed the problems to the stress of being a single father, the death of his father, and his political campaign. The Oregonian has reported that a campaign contributor gave Wu a prescription painkiller, identified by the staffer present as oxycodone
Oxycodone
Oxycodone is an opioid analgesic medication synthesized from opium-derived thebaine. It was developed in 1916 in Germany, as one of several new semi-synthetic opioids in an attempt to improve on the existing opioids: morphine, diacetylmorphine , and codeine.Oxycodone oral medications are generally...
to help alleviate an episode of severe neck pain. Willamette Week quoted the donor as saying the pills were ibuprofen. Wu has admitted taking the painkiller, saying that it was an act of bad judgment, but claiming that he did not know what it was.
External links
- U.S. Congressman David Wu official U.S. House site
- David Wu for Congress official campaign site