Takano, Mark, 1960-

<p>Mark Allan Takano (/təˈkɑːnoʊ/ tə-KAH-no; born December 10, 1960) is an American politician and academic who has been the United States Representative for California's 41st congressional district since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Takano became the first openly gay person of Asian descent in Congress upon taking office.</p>

<p>Takano was born in 1960 in Riverside, California. His family was relocated and interned from California to a "War Relocation Camp" during World War II. He is Sansei, that is, the grandson of people born in Japan who immigrated to the United States. He attended La Sierra High School in the Alvord Unified School District, where he graduated as class valedictorian. In high school, he also participated in the Junior State of America, a national student-run organization centered around debate and civic engagement in young people, and was elected the Lieutenant Governor of the Southern California State. He graduated from Harvard University with an AB in Government in 1983. He later graduated with an MFA in Creative Writing for the Performing Arts from the University of California, Riverside in 2010.</p>

Takano taught British literature in public schools for twenty-three years. He was a member of the Republican Party through college, when he became a member of the Democratic Party. In 1990 he was elected to the Riverside Community College Board of Trustees. While on the board, he shepherded a measure that provided Riverside Community College employees with domestic partner benefits.</p>

TAKANO, Mark, a Representative from California; born in Riverside, Riverside County, Calif., December 10, 1960; graduated from La Sierra High School, Riverside, Calif., 1979; A.B., Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., 1983; M.F.A., University of California, Riverside, Calif., 2010; teacher; member of the Riverside Community College district board of trustees, 1990-2012, president, 1992, 1997, 1998, 2005, 2006; unsuccessful candidate for election to the One Hundred Third Congress in 1992 and One Hundred Fourth Congress in 1994; elected as a Democrat to the One Hundred Thirteenth and to the four succeeding Congresses (January 3, 2013-present); chair, Committee on Veterans' Affairs (One Hundred Sixteenth and One Hundred Seventeenth Congresses).

<p>For more than twenty years, Mark Takano has worked to improve the lives of Riverside County residents, both as an elected official and as a teacher at Rialto High School.</p>

<p>Born and raised in Riverside, Mark's commitment to public service began at an early age. His family roots in Riverside go back to his grandparents who, along with his parents, were removed from their respective homes and sent to Japanese American Internment camps during World War II. After the war, these two families settled in Riverside County to rebuild their lives.</p>

<p>Mark attended La Sierra High School in the Alvord Unified School District, and in 1979 he graduated as the school's valedictorian. Mark attended Harvard College and received his bachelor's degree in Government in 1983. As a student, he bussed tables to help make ends meet. During his senior year, he organized a transcontinental bicycle ride to benefit the international development agency Oxfam America.</p>