Meet The Sons Of Norman Mineta; Stuart Mineta And David Mineta

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American Politician, Norman Yoshio Mineta was born on November 12th, 1931 in San Jose, California in the United States of America. He was born to Japanese immigrants, Kunisaku Mineta and Kane Watanabe. His parents were barred from becoming citizens of America by the Asian Exclusion Act.

Norman’s Early Life and Education

The Mineta family, along with several other Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans, spent several years at the Heart Mountain internment camp near Cody, Wyoming’s Area 24, 7th Barrack, Unit B, during World War II. Mineta, a baseball enthusiast, was denied access to his baseball bat when he arrived at the camp because it may be used as a weapon. Years later, when Mineta had won a seat in the House of Representatives, a man sent Mineta a $1,500 bat that had formerly belonged to Hank Aaron. Mineta was compelled to return the gift since it was in violation of the legislative restriction against giving presents that cost more than $250. Mineta, a Boy Scout at the time, made the acquaintance of future Wyoming senator Alan K. Simpson, a fellow scout who frequently visited the Boy Scouts in the internment camp with his troop. Together, they became into close friends and lifelong political allies. Mineta earned a business administration degree in 1953 from the School of Business Administration at the University of California, Berkeley. Mineta joined the U.S. Army after graduating and worked as an intelligence officer in Korea and Japan. At the Mineta Insurance Agency, he later joined his father.

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Norman’s Political Career

Mineta was chosen by mayor Ron James to fill a vacancy on the San Jose City Council in 1967. He served a term on the municipal council before being elected for the first time. During that time, his fellow councilors chose him to serve as vice mayor. In the 1971 election to succeed outgoing mayor Ron James, Mineta faced off against 14 other contenders. Mineta became the 59th mayor of San Jose and the first Japanese-American mayor of a significant American city after winning the election in every precinct with more than 60% of the vote overall. In his capacity as mayor, Mineta put an end to the city’s 20-year-old policy of annexation-based rapid growth, establishing development-free zones in East and South San Jose. In 1975, Janet Gray Hayes, his vice mayor, took over as mayor. In what was then California’s 13th congressional district, Mineta ran for the House of Representatives. Previously, the district was known as the 10th District, and Republican Charles Gubser, who served for 11 terms, was the representative. Mineta received 52% of the vote to defeat State Assemblyman George W. Milias and secure the Democratic nomination. Never falling below 57 percent of the vote, he won reelection ten more times from this Silicon Valley-based district, which was renumbered as the 15th District in 1993.

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Mineta was the first chair of the Congressional Asian-Pacific American Caucus and co-founded the group. Between 1992 and 1994, he presided over the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Between 1981 and 1988, he presided over the committee’s aviation subcommittee, and from 1989 to 1991, he presided over its surface transportation subcommittee. Mineta was a significant contributor to the 1991 Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act during his time in Congress. He advocated for more Federal Aviation Administration funds. The Civil Liberties Act of 1988, a law that formally apologized for and remedied the injustices experienced by Japanese Americans during World War II, was enacted thanks in large part to Mineta, who served as one of its driving forces.

Mineta left his position mid-term in 1995 to take a job with Lockheed Martin. He served as the chair of the National Civil Aircraft Review Commission, which in 1997 offered recommendations on lowering the rate of aviation accidents and lessening traffic congestion. The Clinton administration implemented many of the commission’s recommendations, including one to restructure the Federal Aviation Administration so that it might operate more like a company. The L. Welch Pogue Award for Lifetime Achievement in Aviation was given to Mineta in 1999. Beginning on January 1, 2007, Mineta was added to the Horizon Lines board of directors. He has served on the boards of SJW Corp. and AECOM Technology Corporation.

He inspired the creation of the Mineta Transportation Institute. As a research organization specializing in problems relating to multimodal surface transportation in the United States, it was created by Congress in 1991. It is a part of the Lucas Graduate School of Business at San Jose State University, located in San Jose, California, and is now run by Karen Philbrick. While he was the US Secretary of Transportation, the San Jose International Airport honored him by renaming itself after him in 2001.

Personal Life and About His Sons

Mineta’s first marriage lasted from 1961 to 1986 with May Hinoki. Mineta married Danealia “Deni” Brantner, a flight attendant for United Airlines, in 1991. Mineta had two biological children and two stepchildren from his first and second marriages, respectively. 11 grandchildren were his. At the age of 90, Mineta passed away in Edgewater, Maryland, on May 3, 2022, from a cardiac condition. Per sources online, the only children of Norman Mineta whose names are known to the public are Stuart Mineta and David Mineta.

Norman Mineta died on 3rd May 2022 at Edgewater, Maryland in the United States of America. He reportedly died of heart ailment.

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