First Vietnamese American to Congress
Anh “Joseph” Quang Cao is a New Orleans lawyer and the new Republican U.S. Representative-elect from Louisiana's 2nd congressional district. On Saturday, December 6, 2008, Cao defeated nine-term Democratic U.S. Representative William Jefferson with 49.6 percent of the vote to Jefferson's 46.8 percent. Cao will be the first Vietnamese-American to serve in Congress and won as a Republican in a district that usually votes 75 percent to 80 percent Democratic.
Anh “Joseph” Quang Cao is a New Orleans lawyer and the new Republican U.S. Representative-elect from Louisiana's 2nd congressional district. On Saturday, December 6, 2008, Cao defeated nine-term Democratic U.S. Representative William Jefferson with 49.6 percent of the vote to Jefferson's 46.8 percent. Cao will be the first Vietnamese-American to serve in Congress and won as a Republican in a district that usually votes 75 percent to 80 percent Democratic.
Cao previously ran as an independent candidate for District 103 of the Louisiana House of Representatives. He was a delegate to the 2008 Republican National Convention. He is a member of the Orleans Parish Board of Election Supervisors. A devout Roman Catholic, Cao is a board member for Mary Queen of Vietnam Catholic Church's Community Development Corporation[7] which assists Vietnamese-Americans with hurricane relief;[8] Cao is a member of the National Advisory Council of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.[9]
Cao was born in Saigon and during the fall of Saigon in 1975, fled with his mother and two siblings from South Vietnam. His father was an officer in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam and was captured during the end of the Vietnam War by the North Vietnamese Army. At eight years-old Cao, two of his seven siblings and their mother arrived to the United States as refugees.
After graduation from Houston's Jersey Village High School, Cao earned a bachelor's degree in physics at Baylor University, became a Jesuit seminarian, and received a master's degree in philosophy at Fordham University. Cao formerly taught philosophy at Loyola University New Orleans, where he earned his Juris Doctor in 2000.
He taught at a local parochial school in Virginia and volunteered at Boat People SOS (BPSOS), to assist Vietnamese refugees and immigrants and organizing Vietnamese American communities in their progress toward self-sufficiency. From September 1996 to March of 2002, he served as a board member of BPSOS.
After some time with Waltzer & Associates he opened his own law practice, where he specializes in immigration law. His attention shifted to politics when he saw ineffective government response to Hurricane Katrina, and he soon became involved in leading New Orleans East residents in successfully opposing a landfill.
APIAVote congratulates Congressman Cao on his victory and serving as the first Vietnamese American to the House of Representatives.
Image pulled from www.josephcaoforcongress.com