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Mineta (Norman Y.) Secretary Papers
MSS-2014-09-10
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Table of contents
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
SJSU Special Collections & Archives
Title: Secretary Norman Y. Mineta Papers
creator:
Mineta, Norman Yoshio, 1931-
source:
Mineta Transportation Institute
source:
San José State University. Library. Special Collections & Archives
Identifier/Call Number: MSS-2014-09-10
Physical Description:
18 boxes
(26.6 Linear Feet)
Date (inclusive): 1995-2015
Date (bulk): 2006-2013
Abstract: The Secretary Norman Y. Mineta Papers documents the career of Mineta after his 2006 resignation as Secretary of Transportation
under President George W. Bush. This collection primarily documents his projects during his five-year appointment at Hill
& Knowlton, a global public relations consulting company, headquartered in New York City.
The collection is open for research.
Copyright is assigned to the San José State University Special Collections & Archives. All requests for permission to publish
or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Special Collections. Permission for publication
is given on behalf of the Special Collections & Archives. Copyright restrictions may apply to digital reproductions of the
original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.
Secretary Norman Y. Mineta Papers, MSS-2014-09-10 San Jose State University Library, Special Collections & Archives.
Processed by: Lisa Zakharova; Finding Aid Created in Archives Space by :Lisa Zakharova; Reviewed by: Danelle Moon. Framed
materials and artifacts processed by Samira Habibi.
Norman Y. Mineta was born in San Jose, California on November 12, 1931. His father immigrated to the U.S. from Japan as a
boy, and went on to build a successful insurance company in San Jose, where the family was prominent in the community. Their
lives were severely disrupted during World War II, with the issuance of Executive Order 9066, which mandated relocation of
all Japanese Americans living on the Pacific Coast to incarceration camps. From 1943 to 1944, the Mineta family was incarcerated
at Heart Mountain Internment camp in Wyoming. Local attorney James B. Peckham protected their home by taking title of the
deed; he rented the home to Dr. Lucy Lawson, a professor at San Jose State University. The mortgage on their home was held
by Parton Savings and Loan. During the war, Norman Mineta's father, Mr. Mineta, served as a volunteer, instructing American
army officers in Japanese in Chicago; his insurance company shut down during the family's incarceration, and reopened in 1946
following their return to San Jose. Norman Mineta graduated from high school in San Jose in 1949, serving as student body
president in his senior year. Following high school, he attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he received
a degree in business in 1953. In the same year, he joined the Reserve Officer Training Program (ROTC) and served as an intelligence
officer with the U.S. Army in Korea and Japan from 1953-1956. Following his military service, he returned to San Jose to work
with his father in the insurance business.
A natural leader, Mineta worked closely with the Japanese Methodist Church, serving on the Santa Clara County Council of Churches.
His appointment by San Jose Mayor Ron James to the Human Relations Council was an important stepping stone in his political
career. Mineta served on the San Jose City Council from 1967-1971, when he became the first American of Asian Pacific ancestry
to serve as mayor of a large urban city (1971-1974). In 1974, Mineta was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, serving
from 1975-1995.
In Congress, Mineta demonstrated his leadership in civil rights legislation, public works and transportation. He co-founded
the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) and played a leadership role in the establishment of the 1978 Commission
on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC). In 1988, Mineta secured passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988,
recognizing the wartime treatment of Japanese Americans. From 1981-1988, he chaired the Aviation Subcommittee, and co-authored
the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA). This act increased control by state and local governments
over highway and mass transit decisions that included fuel-efficient mass transit programs and the creation of bike lanes.
Mineta's interest in aviation and surface transportation can be seen in his work as the Chairman of the U.S. House Committee
on Public Works and Transportation (1992-1995).
Mineta retired from Congress in 1995, retuning briefly to San José to assume the position of Vice President at the Lockheed
Martin Corporation. Mineta became the first Asian Pacific American to serve under two Presidents. From 2000-2001, he served
under President Clinton as the Secretary of Commerce, and from 2001-2006, he served under President Bush as the United States
Secretary of Transportation. Mineta's rich experiences in politics, particularly his expertise in transportation legislation,
enabled him to succeed during the tumultuous period after 9/11, when he helped restore the confidence of the nation in the
transportation system and played a key role in the establishment of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
After retiring from the presidential cabinet, Mineta accepted a position as Vice-Chairman of Hill & Knowlton from 2007-2013,
a public-relations firm in Washington, D.C., where he used his knowledge and expertise in American and international public
transportation solutions to work on a number of projects including California High Speed Rail, the extension of the D.C. metro
line into Tyson’s Corner, and the Japan Airlines (JAL) bankruptcy. During this period, he continued his involvement with many
organizations as a chairman including the Japanese-American National Museum, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and
the Asian/Pacific American Heritage Association. Mineta also continued outreach and public service through attending and speaking
at conferences, charities, and other events related to his interests including acting as keynote speaker for the U.C. Berkeley
Convocation in December, 2009, the Anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America Gold Banquet in March, 2010, and for the Eno Center
for Transportation in 2007. Norman Mineta has received numerous honors throughout his 40-year political career, including
two local namesakes: the Mineta Transportation Institute, a research institute devoted to transportation policy located at
San Jose State University (SJSU), and the Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport.
Mineta lives in Maryland with his wife Danealia. He has two sons, David and Stuart Mineta, and two step-sons, Robert and Mark
Brantner.
Norman Mineta Papers, MSS-1996-02-17, San José State University Library, Special Collections & Archives.
Scope and Contents of Collection
The Secretary Norman Y. Mineta Papers, 1995-2013 (bulk 2006-2013) documents the career of Secretary Norman Mineta after his
2006 resignation as Secretary of Transportation under President George W. Bush. Mineta served initially under President Clinton
as the Secretary of Commerce from 2000-2001 and then served under President Bush as Secretary of Transportation from 2001-2006
as the only Democrat cabinet member. Shortly after he left the cabinet, Norman Mineta accepted a position as Vice Chairman
of Hill & Knowlton, a public relations firm based in Washington, D.C.
This collection documents his projects during his appointment at Hill & Knowlton (2007-2012) where he led meetings with clients
such as Japan Airlines (JAL), the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority (WMATA), and the San Francisco Bay Area Transit
District (BART). General political interests including Japanese-American and Asian-American culture and history, United-States-Japanese
relations, the modernization of American public transportation, including high speed rail, and development projects in the
Washington, D.C metro area are also found within the collection.
This collection is arranged into five series: Series I. Administrative Records, 2006-2013; Series II. Public Relations & Press
Files, 2006-2013; Series III. Organizations & Committees, 2005-2013; Series IV. Audio and Visual Files 2005-2012; and Series
V. Awards and Memorabilia, 1995-2012.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Transportation -- United States.
Asian Americans -- Politics and Culture
Mineta, Norman Yoshio, 1931-
Mineta Transportation Institute
San José State University. Library. Special Collections & Archives