Wu, David, 1955-

Variant names
Dates:
Birth 1955-04-08
Gender:
Male
Americans, Taiwanese
English, Chinese

Biographical notes:

David Wu (born April 8, 1955) is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the U.S. Representative for Oregon's 1st congressional district from 1999 to 2011. Wu was the first Taiwanese American to serve in the House.

Born in Hsinchu, Taiwan, his family moved to the United States in 1961. Wu spent his earliest years in the United States living in Latham, New York; eventually, his family settled in southern California. After earning a B.S. from Stanford University, attending Harvard Medical School, and earning a J.D. from Yale Law School, Wu settled in Portland, Oregon, joining the Miller Nash law firm in 1984. In 1988, he co-founded the law firm of Cohen & Wu.

In 1998, Wu was elected to the first of seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. In the House, Wu was known for taking a strong stand on human rights and the rule of law, sometimes at the risk of his own seat. He was a strong advocate for NASA and the space program. He served on the House Science Committee, which has jurisdiction over NASA, and on its Space Subcommittee, then chaired by Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. Wu defended NASA's budget and advocated for NASA goals for space exploration that are not subject to political influence. He was a member of the New Democrat Coalition (NDC), a group of moderate Democrats in the House.

On July 22, 2011, The Oregonian reported that an 18-year-old woman left a voicemail at Wu's campaign office accusing him of an unwanted sexual encounter. The woman is the daughter of a longtime friend and campaign donor. Wu acknowledged the encounter and said it was consensual. After initially stating he would not resign, Wu reversed course and resigned on August 3. Since his resignation, Wu has remained in the Washington, D.C. area. He has been raising money for local Democratic parties, and organizing student exchange programs between the Chinese and American space programs. According to a 2014 report, he still frequents the House offices, where he visits with friends, sometimes sits in on hearings and even goes onto the House floor.

Links to collections

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Information

Subjects:

not available for this record

Occupations:

  • Law clerks
  • Lawyers
  • Representatives, U.S. Congress

Places:

  • New Haven, CT, US
  • Cambridge, MA, US
  • Portland, OR, US
  • Stanford, CA, US