Elaine Chao
American businesswoman and government official (born 1953)
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Interest in “Elaine Chao” spiked on Wikipedia on 2026-07-18.
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Key Takeaways
- Elaine Lan Chao (born March 26, 1953) is an American businesswoman and former government official who served as United States secretary of labor in the administration of George W.
- A member of the Republican Party and wife of U.
- She resigned as transportation secretary after the January 6 United States Capitol attack.
- Her father founded the Foremost Group, an American shipping company based in New York.
- She worked for financial institutions before being appointed to senior positions in the Department of Transportation under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.
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Source summary
WikipediaElaine Lan Chao (born March 26, 1953) is an American businesswoman and former government official who served as United States secretary of labor in the administration of George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009 and as United States secretary of transportation in the first administration of Donald Trump from 2017 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party and wife of U.S. senator Mitch McConnell, Chao was the first Asian-American woman to serve in a presidential cabinet. She resigned as transportation secretary after the January 6 United States Capitol attack.
Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Chao immigrated to the United States when she was eight years old. Her father founded the Foremost Group, an American shipping company based in New York. Chao was raised in Queens, New York, and on Long Island, and received degrees from Mount Holyoke College and Harvard Business School. She worked for financial institutions before being appointed to senior positions in the Department of Transportation under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, including chair of the Federal Maritime Commission (1988–1989) and Deputy Secretary of Transportation (1989–1991). She served as director of the Peace Corps from 1991 to 1992 and as president of the United Way of America from 1993 to 1996.
Chao has served on several Fortune 500 and nonprofit boards of directors, including the electric charger network provider ChargePoint since 2021.
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