Charles Djou

Charles Djou
Official portrait, 2022
Secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission
Assumed office
May 2022
Preceded byWilliam Matz Jr.
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Hawaii's 1st district
In office
May 22, 2010 – January 3, 2011
Preceded byNeil Abercrombie
Succeeded byColleen Hanabusa
Member of the Honolulu City Council
from the 4th district
In office
December 2002 – May 22, 2010
Preceded byDuke Bainum
Succeeded byLee Donohue
Member of the Hawaii House of Representatives
from the 47th district
In office
January 1999 – December 2002
Preceded byIris Catalani
Succeeded byColleen Meyer
Personal details
Born
Charles Kong Djou

(1970-08-09) August 9, 1970 (age 54)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Political partyIndependent (2018–present)
Other political
affiliations
Republican (before 2018)
SpouseStacey Kawasaki
Children3
Residence(s)Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Pennsylvania (BS, BA)
University of Southern California (JD)
United States Army War College (MA)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Rank Colonel
UnitUnited States Army Reserve
Chinese name
Chinese周永康
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinZhōu Yǒngkāng
Yue: Cantonese
JyutpingZau1 Wing5 Hong1

Charles Kong Djou (born August 9, 1970) is an American politician and attorney who is currently Secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission. A former member of the Republican Party, Djou briefly served as U.S. representative from Hawaii's 1st congressional district from May 2010 to January 2011.[1] As of 2024, he is the last Republican to represent Hawaii in Congress.

Djou was elected to Congress in a May 2010 special election with 39.68% of the vote against two Democratic opponents. He was defeated in the November 2010 general election by Colleen Hanabusa.[2] His election made him the first Thai American, as well as the first Republican of Chinese American descent, to serve in the House of Representatives. Prior to his election to Congress, he was a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives and the Honolulu City Council.

Following his defeat in 2010, he unsuccessfully ran to represent the district in the 2012 and 2014 elections. In 2016, he was a candidate for Mayor of Honolulu, ultimately losing to Kirk Caldwell by a 52% to 48% margin. In 2018, Djou left the Republican Party due to his opposition to then-President Donald Trump.[3] Djou supported Democratic nominee Joe Biden's candidacy in the 2020 presidential election. Following Biden's victory, Djou was appointed Secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission.[4]

  1. ^ U.S. Rep. District 1 Special Vacancy Election – State of Hawaii – Statewide May 22, 2010. Accessed May 22, 2010
  2. ^ Goodin, Emily (November 3, 2010). "Dems pick up Hawaii seat". The Hill.
  3. ^ Staff (March 19, 2018). "Djou abandons Republican Party because of Trump". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  4. ^ "Charles K. Djou". American Battle Monuments Commission. Retrieved October 13, 2022.