List of foreign-born United States politicians
This is a list of United States politicians who were born outside the present-day United States, its territories (the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa), and its outlying possessions. This list does not include politicians from the Philippines (such as Resident Commissioners of the Philippines), which was held under various forms of government as an American territory from 1898 to 1946 before becoming a sovereign country.
United States citizenship is required to serve in Congress, as President or Vice President, and in most state offices. The President and the Vice President must additionally be a 'natural-born citizen'. Foreign-born politicians may gain U.S. citizenship by means of birth (if one or both of their parents were citizens who met the requirements to transmit citizenship at birth), derivation (if they acquired citizenship from their parents after birth but before the age of 18), or naturalization (if they acquired citizenship by fulfilling the requirements of the naturalization process as established in the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952).
Incumbents
Senators
Senator | Country/Place of Birth | Citizenship by | Party | Serving Since | Position(s) Held |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Michael Bennet | India | Birth | Democratic | 2009 | U.S. Senator from Colorado; previously Superintendent of Denver Public Schools |
Ted Cruz | Canada | Birth | Republican | 2013 | U.S. Senator from Texas; previously Solicitor General of Texas |
Tammy Duckworth | Thailand | Birth | Democratic | 2017 | U.S. Senator from Illinois; previously U.S. Representative from Illinois, Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs, and Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs |
Mazie Hirono | Japan | Naturalization | Democratic | 2013 | U.S. Senator from Hawaii; previously U.S. Representative from Hawaii and Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii |
Chris Van Hollen | Pakistan | Birth | Democratic | 2017 | U.S. Senator from Maryland; previously U.S. Representative from Maryland, Maryland State Senator, and Maryland State Delegate |
Representatives
Cabinet members
Cabinet Member | Place of Birth | Citizenship by | Party | Positions Held |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alejandro Mayorkas | Cuba | Naturalization | Democratic | United States Secretary of Homeland Security(Nominee) |
Governors
Governor | Place of Birth | Citizenship by | Party | Serving Since | Position(s) Held |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kate Brown | Spain | Birth | Democratic | 2015 | Oregon Secretary of State and Governor of Oregon |
Statewide officials
Official | Country/Place of Birth | Citizenship by | Party | Position(s) Held |
---|---|---|---|---|
John F. King | Mexico | Unknown | Republican | Insurance Commissioner of Georgia |
Karl Racine | Haiti | Unknown | Democratic | Attorney General of the District of Columbia |
Tregenza Roach | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Unknown | Democratic | Lieutenant Governor of the United States Virgin Islands |
Mayors
Mayor | Place of Birth | Citizenship by | Party | Serving Since | Position(s) Held |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Robert Garcia | Peru | Unknown | Democratic | 2014 | Mayor of Long Beach, California |
Carlos Hernández | Cuba | Naturalization | Republican | 2011 | Mayor of Hialeah, Florida |
Glenn Jacobs | Spain | Birth | Republican | 2018 | Mayor of Knox County, Tennessee |
Wilmot Collins | Liberia | Naturalization | Independant, later Democratic | 2018 | Mayor of Helena, Montana |
State legislators
Others
Name | Place of Birth | Citizenship by | Party | Positions Held |
---|---|---|---|---|
Joe Carollo | Cuba | Naturalization | Republican | Miami City Commissioner |
Jorge Labarga | Cuba | Naturalization | Independent | Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Florida |
Jean Monestime | Haiti | Naturalization | Democratic | Miami-Dade County Commissioner |
Xavier Suarez | Cuba | Naturalization | Independent | Miami-Dade County Commissioner |
Melania Trump | Yugoslavia | Naturalization | Republican | First Lady of the United States |
Helena Moreno | Mexico | Unknown | Democratic | President of the New Orleans City Council |
Yumi Hogan | South Korea | Naturalization | Republican | First Lady of Maryland |
Former
Senators
Representatives
Delegates
Cabinet members
Governors
Statewide officials
Governor | Country/Place of Birth | Citizenship by | Party | Position(s) Held |
---|---|---|---|---|
Leo T. McCarthy | New Zealand | Unknown | Democratic | Lieutenant Governor of California; previously California State Assemblyman (Speaker) and San Francisco Supervisor |
Mayors
State legislators
Name | Country/Place of Birth | Citizenship by | Party | Position(s) Held |
---|---|---|---|---|
Juan C. Zapata | Colombia | Unknown | Republican | Florida State Representative |
Dave Farnsworth | Mexico | Birth | Republican | Arizona State Senator |
Ling Ling Chang | Taiwan | Naturalization | Republican | California State Senator |
John Moorlach | Netherlands | Naturalization | Republican | California State Senator |
Others
Totals
Totals by country
Modern country | Number of
politicians |
---|---|
Ireland | 68 |
England | 28 |
Germany | 24 |
Canada | 22 |
Scotland | 15 |
Cuba | 12 |
Norway | 12 |
Mexico | 10 |
France | 9 |
Sweden | 8 |
Denmark | 6 |
Haiti | 5 |
India | 5 |
South Korea | 5 |
Hungary | 4 |
Italy | 4 |
Austria | 3 |
Czech Republic | 3 |
Japan | 3 |
Peru | 3 |
Poland | 3 |
Taiwan | 3 |
Wales | 3 |
Colombia | 2 |
Dominican Republic | 2 |
Jamaica | 2 |
Lithuania | 2 |
Portugal | 2 |
Spain | 2 |
Switzerland | 2 |
Trinidad and Tobago | 2 |
Venezuela | 2 |
Vietnam | 2 |
Afghanistan | 1 |
Belgium | 1 |
Bulgaria | 1 |
Cayman Islands | 1 |
Ecuador | 1 |
Estonia | 1 |
Guatemala | 1 |
Iran | 1 |
Isle of Man | 1 |
Kenya | 1 |
Kosovo | 1 |
Netherlands | 1 |
New Zealand | 1 |
Pakistan | 1 |
Panama | 1 |
Philippines | 1 |
Romania | 1 |
Sint Maarten | 1 |
Slovenia | 1 |
Somalia | 1 |
St. Kitts and Nevis | 1 |
Thailand | 1 |
Turkey | 1 |
Ukraine | 1 |
U.S. Virgin Islands | 1 |