author
Dalip Singh Saund
1899–1973
A trailblazing immigrant who went from studying in California to making history in Washington, he became the first Asian American, first Indian American, and first Sikh elected to the U.S. Congress. His life story links the fight for citizenship, public service, and representation in modern America.
1 Audiobook
My mother India
by Dalip Singh Saund
About the author
Born in Punjab in 1899, Dalip Singh Saund came to the United States in 1920 to continue his education at the University of California, Berkeley, earning advanced degrees in mathematics. He later built a life in California’s Imperial Valley as a farmer and community leader, even while laws at the time kept many Indian immigrants from becoming U.S. citizens.
Saund became a visible advocate for changing those laws, helping push for the right of Indian immigrants to naturalize. After becoming a U.S. citizen, he entered public life in California and served as a judge before winning election to the House of Representatives. When he took office in 1957, he became the first Asian American, first Indian American, and first Sikh to serve in Congress.
His career was shaped by persistence as much as politics. Saund wrote and spoke about democracy, belonging, and opportunity, and his rise from newcomer to congressman made him a powerful symbol for later generations of immigrants and Asian American public officials.