Joseph Cao

Joseph Cao's story moves me before I weigh any of his politics. Born in Ho Chi Minh City, he became the first Vietnamese American and first native of Vietnam to serve in the United States Congress, representing Louisiana from 2009 to 2011. To leave a war-torn country, master a new language and culture, train as a lawyer, and reach the center of American power is no small thing; the 2009 Great Immigrants Award barely captures it. That he did it as a Republican only underlines how little he fit any easy mold. I have a real soft spot for people who survive the unsurvivable, and I simply respect him.

Ánh Quang "Joseph" Cao ( GOW; Vietnamese: Cao Quang Ánh; born March 13, 1967) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for Louisiana's 2nd congressional district from 2009 to 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he was the first Vietnamese American and first native of Vietnam to serve in Congress.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Name (English)

Joseph Cao

Name (Japanese)

ジョゼフ・カオ

Reading

じょぜふ・かお

Born

March 13, 1967 (age 59)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Pisces / Goat

Origin

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Blood type

Private

Height

Private

Agency

Private

Occupation

politician / lawyer / teacher / advocate

Elementary school

Private

Junior high

Private

High school

Jersey Village High School

University

Fordham University

Awards & achievements

• 2009 Great Immigrants Award

Spouse

Private

Children

Private

Parents

Private

Siblings

Private

Motto

Private

• Official sitehttps://josephcaoforcongress.com/
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%B8%E3%83%A7%E3%82%BC%E3%83%95%E3%83%BB%E3%82%AB%E3%82%AA

Tags

• politician
• lawyer
• teacher

Last updated

2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.