Dalip Singh Saund | |
|---|---|
ਦਲੀਪ ਸਿੰਘ ਸੌਂਧ | |
 D. S. Saund,c. 1961 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia's29th district | |
| In office January 3, 1957 – January 3, 1963 | |
| Preceded by | John J. Phillips |
| Succeeded by | Patrick M. Martin (redistricting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1899-09-20)September 20, 1899 |
| Died | April 22, 1973(1973-04-22) (aged 73) Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Citizenship | British India (1899–1947) India (1947–1949) United States (1949–1973) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Marian Kosa |
| Relatives | Daleep Singh (Great-grandnephew) |
| Education | University of the Punjab (BS) University of California, Berkeley (MA,PhD) |
Dalip Singh Saund (Punjabi:ਦਲੀਪ ਸਿੰਘ ਸੌਂਧ,romanized: Dalīp Siṅgh Saundh; September 20, 1899 – April 22, 1973) was an Indian-born American farmer, lobbyist,judicial officer, academic, andDemocratic Party politician who served in theUnited States House of Representatives from 1957 to 1963. He was the firstSikh,Punjabi American,Indian American, and firstAsian American elected to theUnited States Congress. As a resident ofWestmoreland, California, Saund representedCalifornia's 29th congressional district, which at the time consisted ofImperial andRiverside counties.
Born in Chhajulwadi,Punjab Province,British India, Saund studied atPrince of Wales College andUniversity of the Punjab, where he was active in theIndian independence movement. In 1920, he immigrated to the United States to continue his studies at theUniversity of California, Berkeley, where he earned aMaster of Arts andPh.D. After marrying and settling in California'sImperial Valley as a farmer, he continued his activism for Indian independence and established the Indian Association of America, lobbying for the eligibility of Indians for naturalization, which was permitted under theLuce–Celler Act of 1946. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1949.
As a long-time supporter of PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt, Saund became active in local Democratic Party politics, winning a local election for ajustice of the peace in 1952. Despite the area's strongRepublican tendency at the time, Saund was elected to an open seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1956. As a member of theHouse Committee on Foreign Affairs, he was a critic ofUnited States foreign policy in the Middle East and conducted a tour of Asia where he met withDavid Ben-Gurion,Sukarno, andJawaharlal Nehru. He won election to three terms before he was hospitalized for a debilitating stroke in 1962 and defeated by RepublicanPatrick M. Martin. He died after a second stroke in 1973.
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Dalip Singh Saund was born in Chhajulwadi,Punjab Province,British India, on September 20, 1899, toPunjabiSikh parents Natha Singh and Jeoni Kaur. His father died when he was ten years old. He attendedPrince of Wales College.[1][2] Saund supported theIndian independence movement while studying at theUniversity of the Punjab. In 1919, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from the University of Punjab.[3][4]
In 1920, Saund immigrated to the United States using money from his brother to study food preservation at theUniversity of California, Berkeley and arrived on September 27.[3][4][5] He did not return to India until 1957.[6] He graduated with a Master of Arts in 1922, and Ph.D. in 1924. He married Marian Z. Kosa, with whom he had three children, on July 21, 1928.[4][5]
Saund became a farmer in theImperial Valley in 1925. His bookMy Mother India, a response toKatherine Mayo'sMother India, was published byStockton, California's Sikh temple in 1930. He organized the Indian Association of America and served as its first president in 1942. He and the organization lobbied for legislation to allow Indians to be eligible fornaturalization. TheLuce–Celler Act was passed in 1946, and Saund gained American citizenship on December 16, 1949.[7][8][4]
Saund supportedFranklin D. Roosevelt during the1932 presidential election. He worked for Glen Killingsworth, the Justice of the Peace ofWestmoreland inImperial County. Saund was elected to the Imperial County Democratic Central Committee without opposition in 1950, with the aid of Killingsworth, who died shortly afterwards. He was later elected as head of the committee in 1954.[4][9] He served as a delegate to the1952,1956, and1960 Democratic National Conventions.[10]
Saund ran for Justice of the Peace in the 1950 election, but was not allowed to take the position as he had not been a U.S. citizen for long enough.[11] In 1951, Saund attempted to be appointed by theImperial County Board of Supervisors, but they selected Frank Lyall instead. Saund defeated Lyall in the 1952 election to become Justice of the Peace of Westmoreland.[3][12][2] He claimed to be the only native Indian holding office in the United States at the time.[13]
During the1956 election, Saund ran to replaceJohn R. Phillips, who was retiring, as the United States representative fromCalifornia's 29th congressional district.[14] On April 16, a legal challenge was filed against Saund claiming that he had not been a U.S. citizen long enough to run in the election, but the challenge was dismissed by the4th District California Court of Appeal.[15][16] He won the Democratic nomination and later defeated Republican nomineeJacqueline Cochran in the general election despiteDwight D. Eisenhower winning the area in thepresidential election.[17][18][2] He became the first and onlySikh elected to theUnited States Congress as well as the firstIndian andAsian American elected to Congress.[3][19]
Saund defeated John Babbage, a former member of theCalifornia State Legislature, in the1958 election and Charles H. Jameson in the1960 election.[20][21][2] He won renomination against Rya E. Hiller during the1962 election, despite being hospitalized for a stroke he had on May 1, but was defeated by Republican nomineePatrick M. Martin after being hospitalized at theNational Naval Medical Center for the entire campaign.[22][23][24][25]
Following his election to the United States House of Representatives, Saund stated that he wanted a seat on the House Interior Committee to make sure that his district received a fair share of the Colorado River's water.[26] In 1957, he was appointed to serve on a sub-committee in theUnited States House Committee on Foreign Affairs.[27]
Saund stated during the 1956 election that he would travel to Asia if elected.[9] He conducted a tour of multiple eastern Asian countries which included visits toJapan,Taiwan,British Hong Kong, thePhilippines,South Vietnam,Indonesia,Thailand,Burma,India, andPakistan in 1957. He also visitedIsrael, where he met with Prime MinisterDavid Ben-Gurion, on his way returning to the United States.[28][29] In Indonesia he met with PresidentSukarno and in India he met with Prime MinisterJawaharlal Nehru.[30][31] Singh voted in favor of both theCivil Rights Act of 1957[32] and theCivil Rights Act of 1960.[33]
Saund was moved to be hospitalized atUCLA Medical Center in January 1963 following the earlier stroke he had suffered in May 1962 while flying to Washington, D.C.[34] He died on April 22, 1973, following a second stroke inHollywood, California.[35] Twenty-four members of the United States House of Representatives paid tribute to Saund on the Housefloor and a memorial service was held.[36]
In 1957, Saund criticized the United States for its policy of "buying kings and protecting oil" in the Middle East while ignoring the people. He stated that the British had done a similar policy in India and were "tossed out of India". He stated that the same thing would happen to the United States if it continued the policy.[37] He praised PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower for his stand against the United Kingdom, France, and Israel during theSuez Crisis.[38] He criticized theUnited States Department of State for giving a more elaborate welcome to QueenElizabeth II than any Asian leader.[39] He defended the United States during theLittle Rock Crisis while on tour in Japan stating that in "thirty-five out of the forty-eight states of the Union there was no discrimination against Negroes in schools or public places".[9]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dalip Singh Saund | 54,989 | 51.55% | ||
| Republican | Jacqueline Cochran | 51,690 | 48.45% | ||
| Total votes | 106,679 | 100.00% | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dalip Singh Saund (incumbent) | 64,518 | 62.39% | +10.84% | |
| Republican | John Babbage | 38,899 | 37.61% | −10.84% | |
| Total votes | 103,417 | 100.00% | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dalip Singh Saund (incumbent) | 76,139 | 57.05% | −5.34% | |
| Republican | Charles H. Jameson | 57,319 | 42.95% | +5.34% | |
| Total votes | 133,458 | 100.00% | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Patrick M. Martin | 68,583 | 55.94% | +12.99% | |
| Democratic | Dalip Singh Saund (incumbent) | 54,022 | 44.06% | −12.99% | |
| Total votes | 122,605 | 100.00% | |||
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia's 29th congressional district 1957–1963 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
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