Matt Fong
Encyclopedia
Matthew Kipling Fong (November 20, 1953 – June 1, 2011) was a Republican
who served as the 30th California State Treasurer
and was also the adopted son of Democrat
March Fong Eu
, the 25th California Secretary of State
.
Born in Alameda, California
, Fong graduated from Skyline High School
earned a Bachelor of Science
degree at the United States Air Force Academy
in 1975, an MBA
at Pepperdine University
in 1982, and a J.D.
at the Southwestern University School of Law
in Los Angeles
in 1985.
He retired from his Air Force Reserve
assignment at The Pentagon
, serving as an adviser to the U.S. Secretary of the Air Force
on budget and finance with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel
in the Air Force Reserve.
In 1991, California Governor
Pete Wilson
appointed Fong to the State Board of Equalization
, where he served as its Vice Chairman from 1991 to 1994. He left the Board in 1994 when he was elected State Treasurer
for a four-year term that began January 1995.
In the 1998 U.S. Senate election
, he unsuccessfully challenged incumbent California Senator
Barbara Boxer
, despite support from Senate Majority Leader
Trent Lott
and House Speaker
Newt Gingrich
.
He was President of the Strategic Advisory Group providing counsel to CEO
s and senior executives on strategy and business development. He was Special Counsel to the law firm of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton.
Fong held Series 7
and 63
securities licenses and was a principal of Belstar Group, a New York
-based asset manager.
Fong was an independent director of TCW Group
's complex of mutual fund
s. He also served on two technology start-up companies' boards of directors — one dealing with earthquake detection devices (Seismic Warning Systems) and the other involved with energy saving devices (American Grid).
U.S. President
George W. Bush
appointed Fong chairman of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
Advisory Board. Fong also served as a Regent
of Pepperdine University
and a Trustee of Southwestern University School of Law
.
He lived in Pasadena, California
with his wife, Paula, with whom he had two children: Matthew II and Jade. Fong died of cancer
in his Pasadena home on June 1, 2011. He was buried at the United States Air Force Academy Cemetery in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is survived by his mother, wife and children.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
who served as the 30th California State Treasurer
California State Treasurer
The California State Treasurer is responsible for the state's investment and finance. The post has more narrow responsibilities and authority than the California State Controller...
and was also the adopted son of Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
March Fong Eu
March Fong Eu
March Kong Fong Eu is an American politician of the Democratic Party.Fong earned a Bachelor of Science in dentistry from the University of California, Berkeley in 1943 and a Master of Arts from Mills College. She earned a Ed.D...
, the 25th California Secretary of State
California Secretary of State
The Secretary of State of California is the chief elections officer of that U.S. state. The Secretary of State is also responsible for the California State Archives, as well as chartering corporations. The Secretary of State is elected to four year terms, concurrent with the other constitutional...
.
Born in Alameda, California
Alameda, California
Alameda is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located on Alameda Island and Bay Farm Island, and is adjacent to Oakland in the San Francisco Bay. The Bay Farm Island portion of the city is adjacent to the Oakland International Airport. At the 2010 census, the city had a...
, Fong graduated from Skyline High School
Skyline High School (Oakland, California)
Skyline High School is a public high school in Oakland, California. It is noted for its strong academics and athletic programs, and consistently ranks as the top performing school in the area in terms of standardized testing, SAT scores, college acceptance rates, and matriculation...
earned a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree at the United States Air Force Academy
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...
in 1975, an MBA
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
at Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University is an independent, private, medium-sized university affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The university's campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States, near Malibu, is the location for Seaver College, the School of...
in 1982, and a J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
at the Southwestern University School of Law
Southwestern University School of Law
Southwestern Law School is a private ABA-accredited law school located in Los Angeles, California , with about 1,000 students. Its campus includes the Bullocks Wilshire building, an admired art deco National Register of Historic Places landmark built in 1929...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 1985.
He retired from his Air Force Reserve
Air Force Reserve Command
The Air Force Reserve Command is a major command of the U.S. Air Force with its headquarters at Robins AFB, Georgia.It stood up as a major command of the Air Force on 17 February 1997....
assignment at The Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
, serving as an adviser to the U.S. Secretary of the Air Force
United States Secretary of the Air Force
The Secretary of the Air Force is the Head of the Department of the Air Force, a component organization within the Department of Defense of the United States of America. The Secretary of the Air Force is appointed from civilian life by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate...
on budget and finance with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
in the Air Force Reserve.
In 1991, California Governor
Governor of California
The Governor of California is the chief executive of the California state government, whose responsibilities include making annual State of the State addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced...
Pete Wilson
Pete Wilson
Peter Barton "Pete" Wilson is an American politician from California. Wilson, a Republican, served as the 36th Governor of California , the culmination of more than three decades in the public arena that included eight years as a United States Senator , eleven years as Mayor of San Diego and...
appointed Fong to the State Board of Equalization
State Board of Equalization (California)
The State Board of Equalization is a public agency charged with tax administration and fee collection in the state of California in the United States. The areas of authority of the Board fall into four broad areas: sales and use taxes, property taxes, special taxes, and acting as an appellate body...
, where he served as its Vice Chairman from 1991 to 1994. He left the Board in 1994 when he was elected State Treasurer
California State Treasurer
The California State Treasurer is responsible for the state's investment and finance. The post has more narrow responsibilities and authority than the California State Controller...
for a four-year term that began January 1995.
In the 1998 U.S. Senate election
United States Senate election in California, 1998
The 1998 United States Senate election in California was held on November 2, 1998. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer won re-election to a second term.- Results :- Candidates :*John M. Brown, businessman*Linh Dao, activist...
, he unsuccessfully challenged incumbent California Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Barbara Boxer
Barbara Boxer
Barbara Levy Boxer is the junior United States Senator from California . A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives ....
, despite support from Senate Majority Leader
Party leaders of the United States Senate
The Senate Majority and Minority Leaders are two United States Senators who are elected by the party conferences that hold the majority and the minority respectively. These leaders serve as the chief Senate spokespeople for their parties and manage and schedule the legislative and executive...
Trent Lott
Trent Lott
Chester Trent Lott, Sr. , is a former United States Senator from Mississippi and has served in numerous leadership positions in the House of Representatives and the Senate....
and House Speaker
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives...
Newt Gingrich
Newt Gingrich
Newton Leroy "Newt" Gingrich is a U.S. Republican Party politician who served as the House Minority Whip from 1989 to 1995 and as the 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999....
.
He was President of the Strategic Advisory Group providing counsel to CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
s and senior executives on strategy and business development. He was Special Counsel to the law firm of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton.
Fong held Series 7
General Securities Representative Exam
The General Securities Representative Exam, commonly referred to as the Series 7 Exam, is a required exam to become a Registered Representative of a broker-dealer in the United States....
and 63
Uniform Securities Agent State Law Exam
The Uniform Securities Agent State Law Examination, commonly referred to as the Series 63, is developed by North American Securities Administrators Association and is administered by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority...
securities licenses and was a principal of Belstar Group, a New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
-based asset manager.
Fong was an independent director of TCW Group
TCW Group
The TCW Group is an investment management company that offers various equity, fixed income, and alternative strategies to and individual investors. The group operates as a subsidiary of SG Gestion....
's complex of mutual fund
Mutual fund
A mutual fund is a professionally managed type of collective investment scheme that pools money from many investors to buy stocks, bonds, short-term money market instruments, and/or other securities.- Overview :...
s. He also served on two technology start-up companies' boards of directors — one dealing with earthquake detection devices (Seismic Warning Systems) and the other involved with energy saving devices (American Grid).
U.S. President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
appointed Fong chairman of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation is an independent agency of the United States government that was created by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to encourage the continuation and maintenance of voluntary private defined benefit pension plans, provide timely and...
Advisory Board. Fong also served as a Regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
of Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University is an independent, private, medium-sized university affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The university's campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States, near Malibu, is the location for Seaver College, the School of...
and a Trustee of Southwestern University School of Law
Southwestern University School of Law
Southwestern Law School is a private ABA-accredited law school located in Los Angeles, California , with about 1,000 students. Its campus includes the Bullocks Wilshire building, an admired art deco National Register of Historic Places landmark built in 1929...
.
He lived in Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
with his wife, Paula, with whom he had two children: Matthew II and Jade. Fong died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in his Pasadena home on June 1, 2011. He was buried at the United States Air Force Academy Cemetery in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is survived by his mother, wife and children.
Additional reading
- Fong, Matt. "California Crisis a Golden Opportunity for Voters." Sacramento Bee, March 22, 1992.
- Fong, Matt. "Unfair Taxes Are Hurting State Revenue by Killing Jobs," Sacramento Bee, October 4, 1992.
- Lin, Sam Chu. "Matt Fong Scopes Asian Pacific American Economic Opportunities." Asian Week, February 4, 1994.