| David Wu 吳振偉 |
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|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon's 1st district |
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| In office January 3, 1999 – August 3, 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Elizabeth Furse |
| Succeeded by | Vacant |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 8, 1955 Hsinchu, Taiwan |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Michelle Wu (filed for separation) |
| Residence | Portland, Oregon, United States |
| Alma mater | Stanford University Yale Law School |
| Occupation | Attorney |
| Religion | Presbyterian |
| Website | David Wu at house.gov |
David Wu (traditional Chinese: 吳振偉; simplified Chinese: 吴振伟; pinyin: Wú Zhènwěi; born April 8, 1955) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Oregon's 1st congressional district from 1999 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
The district includes most of Portland west of the Willamette River, as well as all of Yamhill, Columbia, Clatsop, and Washington Counties. As a child of immigrants from Taiwan, Wu was the first Chinese American[1] to serve in the House of Representatives. In the wake of accusations that he made unwanted sexual advances on the daughter of a campaign donor and friend, Wu announced that he would resign from office following resolution of the 2011 US debt ceiling crisis; he submitted his resignation on August 3, 2011.[2][3] A special election will be held in January 2012 to fill the vacancy in advance of the regular 2012 election.[4]
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Wu was born in Hsinchu, Taiwan. His parents were from Suzhou in Jiangsu province in China and settled in Taiwan due to the Chinese Civil War. The family moved to the United States in 1961.[5] Wu spent his first two years in the U.S. in Latham, New York, where his family were the only Asian Americans in town.[6]
Wu received a bachelor of science degree from Stanford University in 1977 and attended Harvard Medical School for a time, sharing an apartment with future-United States Senator Bill Frist.[7] Wu did not complete his medical studies. Instead, he attended Yale Law School where he was awarded a Juris Doctor degree in 1982. Next, he served as a clerk for a federal judge and then co-founded the law firm of Cohen & Wu. The firm focused on representing clients in Oregon's high-tech development sector, centered on "Silicon Forest."
Wu was a member of the New Democrat Coalition (NDC), a group of moderate Democrats in the House. In 2009, he received a 100 percent rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America.[8] He was also a member of the Executive Board for the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and served as Chair from January 2001 to January 2004.
Wu was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1998, succeeding Democrat Elizabeth Furse. He narrowly defeated Republican Molly Bordonaro by a little over 7,100 votes. He won re-election in 2000, defeating state senator Charles Starr in the November election with 58% of the vote to 39% for Starr.[9]
Wu won re-election in 2004 over Republican Goli Ameri; in 2006 over Oregon state representative Derrick Kitts and two minor party candidates; and in 2008 with no Republican candidate running, he captured 71% of the vote to win a sixth term over four minor party candidates. He faced his most difficult reelection test in 2010, defeating Republican challenger Rob Cornilles with 54% of the vote.
On July 22, 2011, The Oregonian reported that an 18 year old woman accused Wu of an aggressive, unwanted sexual encounter. The teenager is the daughter of a longtime friend and campaign donor. Wu admitted the encounter but said it was consensual.[10] House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called for an ethics investigation into the allegations.[11] Wu initially indicated that he would not resign but would also not seek reelection in 2012.[12] Several days later, however, Wu announced he would resign following resolution of the 2011 US debt ceiling crisis. [2] He resigned on August 3, 2011.[13]
Wu married Michelle Maxine Wu in 1996, and they have two children. In December 2009, he filed for separation from his wife, citing irreconcilable differences.[14]
Three weeks prior to the 2004 elections, The Oregonian published an article reporting that Wu had been accused of sexually assaulting an ex-girlfriend while attending Stanford.[15] Stanford made Wu attend counseling, and he was disciplined by the university in 1976.[16] Criminal charges were never filed, but the story prompted Wu to hold a press conference apologizing for "inexcusable behavior".[17]
In February 2011, Willamette Week[18] and later The Oregonian reported that, in the runup to the November 2010 election, Wu began behaving erratically and that staffers "demanded he enter a hospital for psychiatric treatment."[19] The erratic behavior that triggered the staff's departure was reported to be no single incident but rather a pattern of behavior that included Wu's emailing his staff photos of himself in a tiger suit.[20]
After Wu won re-election, at least six of his staffers left, including his longtime chief of staff and his communications director.[21] In a statement, Wu acknowledged he has sought "professional medical care" and attributed the problems to the stress of being a single father, the death of his father, and his political campaign.[19] The Oregonian has reported that a campaign contributor gave Wu a prescription painkiller, identified by the staffer present as oxycodone to help alleviate an episode of severe neck pain.[22] Willamette Week quoted the donor as saying the pills were ibuprofen.[23] Wu has admitted taking the painkiller, saying that it was an act of bad judgment, but claiming that he did not know what it was.[24]
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Elizabeth Furse |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon's 1st congressional district 1999 - 2011 |
Succeeded by vacant |
| 106th | Senate: R. Wyden | G. Smith | House: P. DeFazio | E. Blumenauer | D. Hooley | G. Walden | D. Wu |
| 107th | Senate: R. Wyden | G. Smith | House: P. DeFazio | E. Blumenauer | D. Hooley | G. Walden | D. Wu |
| 108th | Senate: R. Wyden | G. Smith | House: P. DeFazio | E. Blumenauer | D. Hooley | G. Walden | D. Wu |
| 109th | Senate: R. Wyden | G. Smith | House: P. DeFazio | E. Blumenauer | D. Hooley | G. Walden | D. Wu |
| 110th | Senate: R. Wyden | G. Smith | House: P. DeFazio | E. Blumenauer | D. Hooley | G. Walden | D. Wu |
| 111th | Senate: R. Wyden | J. Merkley | House: P. DeFazio | E. Blumenauer | G. Walden | D. Wu | K. Schrader |
| 112th | Senate: R. Wyden | J. Merkley | House: P. DeFazio | E. Blumenauer | G. Walden | D. Wu | K. Schrader |