David Wu
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromOregon's1st district
In office January 3, 1999 – August 3, 2011
Preceded by	Elizabeth Furse
Succeeded by	Suzanne Bonamici
Personal details
Born	(1955-04-08)April 8, 1955 (age 70) Hsinchu,Taiwan
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Michelle Reinmiller ​ ​ (m. 1996; div. 2009)​
Education	Stanford University (BS) Harvard University Yale University (JD)
Signature
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	吳振偉
Simplified Chinese	吴振伟
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Wú Zhènwěi

David Wu (born April 8, 1955) is an American politician who served as theU.S. representative forOregon's 1st congressional district from 1999 to 2011. He is a member of theDemocratic Party.

Wu was born inTaiwan, immigrated to the United States as a child, and graduated fromStanford University. After attendingHarvard Medical School, he earned a law degree fromYale University. He was the firstTaiwanese American^[1] to serve in the House of Representatives. Wu announced that he would resign from office following resolution of the2011 debt ceiling crisis, days after reports surfaced that an 18-year-old woman had left a voicemail at Wu's campaign office accusing him of an unwanted sexual encounter.^[2][3] Wu acknowledged the encounter and said it was consensual.

Wu submitted his resignation on August 3, 2011. Aspecial election was held on January 31, 2012, to fill the vacancy in advance of the regular2012 election.^[4] DemocratSuzanne Bonamici defeated Republican challenger Rob Cornilles to win this special election.

Since his resignation, Wu has remained in theWashington, D.C. area. He has been raising money for local Democratic parties, and organizingstudent exchange programs between the Chinese and American space programs.^[5]

Wu was born inHsinchu,Taiwan. His parents were fromSuzhou inJiangsu province and settled in Taiwan due to theChinese Civil War. The family moved to the United States in 1961.^[6][7] Wu spent his first two years in the U.S. inLatham, New York, where his family were the onlyAsian Americans in town.^[8]

Wu received aBachelor of Science degree in biology fromStanford University in 1977 and attendedHarvard Medical School for a time, sharing an apartment with future-United States SenatorBill Frist.^[9] Wu did not complete his medical studies. Instead, he attendedYale Law School where he was awarded aJuris Doctor degree in 1982.

Wu served as a clerk for a federal judge. In 1984, he joined theMiller Nash law firm.^[10] In 1988, he co-founded the law firm of Cohen & Wu.^[10] The firm focused on representing clients in Oregon's high-tech development sector, centered on "Silicon Forest."

Wu was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1998, succeeding DemocratElizabeth Furse. He narrowly defeated RepublicanMolly Bordonaro by a little over 7,100 votes. He won re-election in 2000, defeating state senatorCharles Starr in the November election with 58% of the vote to 39% for Starr.^[11] Redistricting after the 2000 census made the 1st considerably more Democratic, notably by pushing the district further into Portland. The 1st had long included the portion of Portland inWashington County, but the new map pushed it intoMultnomah County, taking in almost all of the city west of theWilliamette River.

Wu won re-election in2004 over RepublicanGoli Ameri; in2006 over Oregon state representativeDerrick Kitts and two minor party candidates; and in2008 with no Republican candidate running, he captured 72% of the vote to win a sixth term over four minor party candidates. He faced his most difficult reelection test in2010, defeating Republican challenger Rob Cornilles with 54% of the vote.

Wu was a member of theNew Democrat Coalition (NDC), a group of moderate Democrats in the House. In 2009, he received a 100 percent rating fromNARAL Pro-Choice America.^[12] He was also a member of the executive board for theCongressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and served as chair from January 2001 to January 2004.

Wu funded virus research at the Oregon Health and Science University that may be the first effective treatment and vaccine for AIDS.^[13] He authored legislation to promote research and product development by small businesses using a portion of federal research grants.^[14] Wu was a staunch supporter of science and research at both the basic and applied levels.

In the House, Wu was known for taking a strong stand on human rights and the rule of law, sometimes at the risk of his own seat.^[15] He opposed granting Most Favored Nation (MFN) trading status to China (renamed later as "Normal Trade Relations"), citing human rights violations and predicting that the trade deficit with China would balloon under the legislation.^[16] The two largest employers in his Congressional District, Nike and Intel, strongly supported granting MFN status to China.^[17] He favored closing the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, citing rule of law concerns.^[18]

Wu was a strong advocate forNASA and the space program. He served on theHouse Science Committee, which has jurisdiction over NASA, and on its Space Subcommittee, then chaired by CongresswomanGabby Giffords. Wu defended NASA's budget and advocated for NASA goals for space exploration that are not subject to political influence.^[19] He viewed student interest in space as a way to promoteSTEM education, and founded a space camp scholarship program for underprivileged children.^[20] Wu continued this effort after he left Congress, and also started a program to send American students to China to learn about its space program. Chinese students were also included in order to promote international cooperation in space.^{[citation needed]}

Perhaps Wu's most enduring legacy is his successful effort with his Washington State colleagueBrian Baird to create theLewis and Clark National Historic Park located at the mouth of theColumbia River.^[21] He expanded theFort Clatsop National Memorial in 2002 and incorporated it into an expanded park in 2004.^[22]

On July 22, 2011,The Oregonian reported that an 18-year-old woman left a voicemail at Wu's campaign office accusing him of an unwanted sexual encounter. The woman is the daughter of a longtime friend and campaign donor. Wu acknowledged the encounter and said it was consensual.^[23][24] House Minority LeaderNancy Pelosi called for an ethics investigation into the allegations.^[25] Wu initially indicated that he would not resign but would also not seek reelection in 2012.^[26] Several days later, however, Wu announced he would resign following resolution of the2011 US debt ceiling crisis.^[2] He resigned on August 3, 2011.^[27] This was his second brush with sexual assault allegations. On Oct 12, 2004,The Oregonian published a 3000 word article on a 1976 incident in a dormitory at Stanford University.^[28]

• Committee on Education and Labor
  • Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training
  • Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions
• Committee on Science, Space and Technology
  • Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics
  • Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation (Ranking Member)

In 2014BuzzFeed reported that Wu was still living in the Washington area. The article noted that he frequently visited the Capitol and House offices to see friends, many of whom were still serving, such as Rep.Peter DeFazio. He also annually attended theCongressional Baseball Game, sometimes sat in on hearings and occasionally ventured onto the House floor, a privilege he is allowed as a former member.^[5]

Under the terms of his divorce, Wu explained toBuzzFeed, he must live in the Washington area until his daughter and son have finished high school. His income primarily comes from consulting for Chinese companies seeking to do business in the U.S.; he is also sometimes quoted in the Chinese media about issues such as theSenkaku Islands dispute (he supports China's claim to sovereignty over the islands, currently administered by Japan).^[29]

Wu is also treasurer of the Education and Opportunity Fund, apolitical action committee that supports county-level Democratic committees. At the time ofBuzzFeed's article, he was trying to organize astudent exchange program to allow Chinese and American students to tour the other country's space-program facilities, an exception to the prohibition on cooperation that otherwise exists. He said he eventually intended to return to Oregon.^[5]

Wu married Michelle Reinmiller in 1996, and they have two children. In December 2009, he filed for separation from his wife, citingirreconcilable differences, and is now divorced.^[30] Previously living inPortland, Oregon,^[31] Wu lives in the Washington D.C. area with his son, Matt Wu, and daughter.

• List of Asian Americans and Pacific Islands Americans in the United States Congress
• List of federal political scandals in the United States
• List of federal political sex scandals in the United States

Wikimedia Commons has media related toDavid Wu.

Wikisource has original works by or about:
David Wu

• Biography at theBiographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at theFederal Election Commission
• Appearances onC-SPAN

• 1955 births
• 20th-century Oregon politicians
• 21st-century Oregon politicians
• Members of the United States Congress of Chinese descent
• American Presbyterians
• Asian-American people in Oregon politics
• Living people
• Members of the United States House of Representatives of Asian descent
• People from Hsinchu County
• People from Latham, New York
• Naturalized citizens of the United States
• Stanford University alumni
• Taiwanese emigrants to the United States
• Yale Law School alumni
• Harvard Medical School people
• Politicians from Portland, Oregon
• Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Oregon
• 21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives
• 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives

• Webarchive template wayback links
• CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list
• CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from January 2014
• Articles containing Chinese-language text
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from September 2021
• Commons category link from Wikidata
• People appearing on C-SPAN