Norman Mineta
Norman Yoshio Mineta is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, Mineta most recently served in President George W. Bushs Cabinet as the United States Secretary of Transportation, the only Democratic Cabinet Secretary in the Bush administration. On June 23, 2006, Mineta announced his resignation after more than five years as Secretary of Transportation, effective July 7, 2006, making him the longestserving Transportation Secretary in the Departments history. On July 10, 2006, Hill amp Knowlton, a public relations firm, announced that Mineta would join it as a partner. On August 10, 2010, it was announced that Mineta would join LampL Energy, Inc as Vice Chairman.
Mineta was born in San Jose, California, to Japanese immigrant parents who were not allowed to become U.S.160citizens at that time due to the Asian Exclusion Act. During World War160II the Mineta family was interned for several years at Area16024, 7th160Barrack, Unit160B in the Heart Mountain internment camp near Cody, Wyoming, along with thousands of other Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans. Upon arrival to the camp, Mineta, a baseball fan, had his baseball bat confiscated by authorities because it could be used as a weapon. Many years later, after Mineta was elected to the U.S.160House of Representatives, a Los Angeles man sent Mineta a 1,500 bat that was once owned by Hank Aaron, which Mineta was forced to send back as it violated the House ban on accepting gifts valued over 250. Mineta was quoted as saying, The damn governments taken my bat again.
Source: Wikipedia