Meng, Grace, 1975-

<p>Grace Meng (born October 1, 1975) is an American lawyer and politician serving as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing New York's 6th congressional district in the New York City borough of Queens, which includes Bayside, Flushing, Forest Hills, Fresh Meadows, Glendale, Kew Gardens, Maspeth, Middle Village, and Rego Park. Previously, she served as a member of the New York State Assembly, representing the 22nd assembly district in Flushing, Queens. She is the first Asian American to be elected to Congress from New York.</p>

<p>Grace Meng was born on October 1, 1975, in Queens, New York, and was raised in the Bayside and Flushing sections of that borough. She is of Taiwanese descent, and is the daughter of Jimmy Meng, an Assemblyman, and Shiao-Mei Meng. She attended Nathaniel Hawthorne Middle School and Stuyvesant High School and intended to become a teacher, according to a classmate. She received a B.A. degree from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctor from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University. One of her early mentors was Susan Wu Rathbone, founder of the Queens Chinese Women's Association.</p>

<p>Meng's father, Jimmy Meng, was elected in 2004 to New York's 22nd assembly district, becoming the first Asian American to be elected to the legislature in New York State history. He was subsequently arrested for wire fraud during an FBI sting investigation. He served one term and decided against seeking reelection in 2006.</p>

<p>U.S. Congresswoman Grace Meng is serving her fifth term in the United States House of Representatives. Grace represents the Sixth Congressional District of New York encompassing the New York City borough of Queens, including west, central and northeast Queens.</p>

<p>Grace is the first and only Asian American Member of Congress from New York State and the first female Congressmember from Queens since former Vice Presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro.</p>

<p>Grace is a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee and is Vice Chair of its Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations. She also sits on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, and the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies. The Appropriations Committee is responsible for funding every federal agency, program, and project within the United States government.</p>

MENG, Grace, a Representative from New York; born in Queens, Queens County, N.Y., October 1, 1975; graduated from Stuyvesant High School, New York, N.Y., 1993; A.B., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich., 1997; J.D., Yeshiva University, New York City, N.Y., 2002; lawyer, private practice; member of the New York state assembly, 2009-2012; elected as a Democrat to the One Hundred Thirteenth and to the four succeeding Congresses (January 3, 2013-present).