Infrastructure advocates remember Norman Mineta as a transformative force in transportation policy following his death Tuesday at 90.
Throughout his long career as mayor of San Jose, congressman, secretary of commerce, secretary of transportation and a formidable career in the private sector, Mineta is remembered as a dedicated public servant and a bipartisan champion of infrastructure and transportation in this country.
“Norm was the Chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation and one of my mentors when I first came to Congress, and I benefited tremendously from his leadership and guidance,” said Peter DeFazio, chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. “His example inspired me to vigorously oversee the aviation industry and FAA, and insist on safety for the traveling public before all else.”
As a member of Congress, Mineta was a primary author of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA), which then-President George H. W. Bush called "the most important transportation bill since President Eisenhower started the Interstate System 35 years ago."
“San Jose has lost a great champion and I have lost a deeply admired mentor,” San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said. “Like so many of those fortunate to have worked with Norm, I learned enormously from his calm leadership style, his deadpan humor and his sincere love for public service.”
His childhood began in San Jose but was quickly uprooted during World War II, when Mineta and his family were forced to board a train to Heart Mountain, Wyoming, to be interned as part of the 120,000 Japanese-Americans imprisoned during this time.
After the war, Mineta returned to San Jose and rose to become the first person of color to serve on the San Jose City Council in 1967. Just four years later, Mineta became mayor and the first Asian-American to lead a major American city. After three years, he moved on to Congress.
His committee work as a congressman helped set Mineta on a long career of developing regulations for highways and airlines as well as a staunch champion of San Jose. As chairman of the House Public Works and Transportation Committee, he created Highway 237, the Guadalupe Parkway, San Jose International Airport, Santa Clara County’s light-rail system, the San Jose-Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant and the Guadalupe River Park. The San Jose International Airport was named after him in 2001.
“A native son of San Jose, he overcame his internment of his family during World War II to eventually become Mayor of his hometown and become the preeminent expert on a wide array of transportation issues,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. “Mineta truly embodied the California spirit.”
As a member of the House, he went on to sponsor the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 and signed into law by then-President Ronald Reagan, which gave each survivor of the Japanese internment camps $20,000. He eventually left Congress to take a stab at the private sector in a position with Lockheed Martin.
But that didn’t last long as his public service work was eventually recognized by then-President Bill Clinton, and Mineta replaced William Daley in leading the Department of Commerce. He soon became one of the few cabinet picks to work for both Democratic and Republican Cabinets, when he was tapped for the DOT post by President George W. Bush in 2001 and became the sole Democrat in Bush's cabinet.
“The transportation community lost a leader, a trailblazer and a friend with the passing of former U.S. Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta," said Jim Tymon, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. "Secretary Mineta was a champion for transportation and understood its impact on the quality of life of our communities and its ability to enable economic growth.”
He famously called for the grounding of all planes on 9/11 and in its aftermath, was tasked with establishing the Transportation Security Administration.
“His guidance in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks – both immediately and in long-term response – is just one example of his strong and consistent leadership in a time of great need. Secretary Mineta’s lifetime service to his country, his ability to work with people across the political divide, his far reaching knowledge and his reputation as a leader who would get the job done are all part of his profound legacy. We are grateful for all he gave to make our communities better and safer and know his impact on the transportation industry will live on for decades to come,” Tymon said.
“Through his service in Congress and at the Department of Transportation, Secretary Mineta helped build and shape the transportation system we all know and rely on today," Airports Council International - North America president and chief executive Kevin Burke said. "His leadership in establishing the Transportation Security Administration following the 9/11 terrorist attacks made air travel safer and more secure for all Americans, and his many contributions will continue to make a positive difference in travel and commerce for years to come."
Mineta resigned from the Bush administration in 2006 and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom the same year, America’s highest civilian honor. He was the longest-serving transportation secretary in U.S. history.
“I’m saddened to hear of the passing of former @USDOT Secretary Norman Mineta - a strong bipartisan voice for American infrastructure, Asian-American trailblazer and exemplary leader in both local and federal office,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a Tweet.
