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JACL Mourns the Passing of Congressman Robert T. Matsui
A Courageous Leader, Dedicated Public Servant and a Great Friend
Release by the Japanese American Citizens League
San Francisco, CA – January 3, 2005 – The Japanese American Citizens
League (JACL), the nation’s oldest and largest Asian Pacific American
civil rights organization, deeply mourns the passing of Congressman
Robert T. Matsui and extends our heartfelt condolences to his family.
The Congressman succumbed to complications from Milo Dysplastic Disorder
(MDS), a rare stem cell disorder that causes an inability of the bone
marrow to produce blood products, on January 1st.
“Congressman Matsui was a great American and a great statesman,”
commented John Tateishi, JACL National Executive Director. “He was a
remarkable role model for integrity and compassion in public service,
and we will greatly miss him as a leader with insight and vision on
issues of tremendous importance to all of us – but most of all, we will
miss him as a friend.”
Added JACL National President Kenneth Inouye, “Congressman Matsui was
a champion of civil rights who worked tirelessly to protect children’s
health, ensure fair tax laws and safeguard our Social Security. He
served his Sacramento constituents with meticulous dedication, and he
was an example of the very best in public service. We are saddened by
his passing and extend our deepest sympathies to the Matsui family.”
Born in Sacramento, Congressman Robert Takeo Matsui was interned as
an infant with his family in Tule Lake in northern California during
World War II. He received his law degree from U.C. Hastings College of
Law in 1966, and after a few years of private practice was elected to
the Sacramento City Council before becoming Vice Mayor of Sacramento in
1977. One of the most senior and highly respected Members of the U.S.
House of Representatives when he passed, Congressman Matsui was first
elected to Congress in 1978. He was overwhelmingly returned to office
in every election since, most recently by over seventy-one percent to
his 14th term. Congressman Matsui was the third ranking Democrat on the
powerful House Ways and Means Committee, the Ranking Member on the
Social Security Subcommittee, and was elected two years ago by his
colleagues to serve as Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign
Committee - the National Party Committee responsible for electing
Democrats to the U.S. House of Representatives. A champion of civil
rights, Congressman Matsui played an instrumental role in securing
passage of the 1988 Civil Liberties Act, which made an official apology
from the government to the Japanese American community for internment;
in designating the Manzanar internment camp as national historic site;
and in establishing the National Japanese American Memorial near Union
Station in Washington, DC. He received numerous honors and accolades
for his work and once served as a president of the Sacramento chapter of
the JACL.
Congressman Matsui is survived by his wife, Doris Okada Matsui, his
son Brian, daughter-in-law Amy and granddaughter Anna. The Matsui
family and friends are establishing a charitable fund in memory of the
Congressman and ask that all gifts be sent to The Matsui Foundation for
Public Service, P.O. Box 1347, Sacramento, CA 95812.
For more information about the Japanese American
Citizens League, please visit www.jacl.org.
To join or donate to JACL, please contact our national office at (415)
921-5225/email: mbr@jacl.org |
