David Wu
A Stanford-educated Democrat from Oregon, his trailblazing political career ended abruptly amid personal controversy.
Born 1955 (age 71)·American politician·Birthday: April 8·Baby Boomers
Biography
David Wu's story is one of remarkable ascent and sudden fall. The Taiwan-born son of immigrants, he embodied the American dream: Yale, Stanford Law, and a successful career as a technology attorney. In 1998, he channeled that narrative into a political campaign, winning Oregon's 1st District to become the first Chinese-American elected to Congress from the mainland United States. For over a decade, he built a reputation as a sharp, policy-oriented Democrat with a focus on science, technology, and trade issues, particularly with Asia. He was a reliable liberal vote and secured coveted committee assignments. However, his tenure unraveled in 2011 following a series of troubling personal incidents, leading him to resign from Congress, a stark conclusion to a once-promising career.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
David was born in 1955, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When David Was Born
The biggest hits of 1955
#1 Movie
Lady and the Tramp
Best Picture
Marty
#1 TV Show
The $64,000 Question
David's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1955Born
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1960Started school
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1968Became a teenager
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Could drive
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1973Could vote
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Turned 21
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1985Turned 30
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 40
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 50
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 60
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 70
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 71 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Elected in 1998 as the first Chinese-American representative from the U.S. mainland.
- Served as a member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, advocating for research funding.
- Played a key role in congressional efforts to strengthen U.S. economic and diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
- Co-founded the Congressional Caucus on Malaysia and was active on Asia-Pacific trade issues.
Did You Know?
He was the first person born in Taiwan to be elected to the United States Congress.
Wu earned both a medical degree from Harvard Medical School and a law degree from Yale Law School, though he never practiced medicine.
He was a clerk for a federal judge before entering private law practice.
In Congress, he kept a pet boa constrictor named "Pete" in his office.
“I came to Congress to get things done for the people of Oregon.”
