SAN JOSE, Calif. — Former U.S. President Bill Clinton will lead a who’s-who of political speakers at the San Jose memorial for Norman Y. Mineta next week.
Mineta, who died May 3 at age 90, served as Clinton’s Secretary of Commerce in 2000. He was the first Asian American to hold a cabinet position.
In a statement upon hearing news of Mineta’s death, Clinton called him “an extraordinary public servant, American patriot, and good and honorable man.”
“He was a staunch defender of civil liberties and civil rights, an important voice for science and technology, and a champion of infrastructure and public transit,” the former president said.
In addition to Clinton, speakers at the June 16 memorial will include San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, former Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, former U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, former U.S. Rep. Mike Honda and members of the Mineta family, the mayor’s office announced Tuesday. Mineta’s body will rest in honor in the San Jose City Hall Rotunda on June 15, and the public is invited to pay their respects from 1 to 7 p.m.
Mineta served as San Jose’s mayor — a role he continued to cherish decades later — before his 20-year career in the U.S. House of Representatives. Following his stint as commerce secretary, President George W. Bush appointed him as U.S. Secretary of Transportation, the post he held during the 9/11 attacks.
The memorial service starts at 10:30 a.m. at the San Jose Civic Auditorium. This is one of three memorials for Mineta, following a June 11 event in Washington, D.C., and preceding a June 25 celebration at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles.
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