Norman Mineta, transportation secretary in 9/11 era, dies

By BRIAN WITTE and TERENCE CHEA
Associated Press

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Norman Mineta, who as federal transportation secretary ordered commercial flights grounded after the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001, has died. He was 90. John Flaherty, Mineta’s former chief of staff, said Mineta died on Tuesday at his home in Edgewater, Maryland, east of the nation’s capital. Mineta broke racial barriers in becoming mayor of San Jose, California, earlier in his political career. He later became the first Asian-American to become a federal Cabinet secretary, serving under both Democrat Bill Clinton and Republican George W. Bush. As Bush’s transportation secretary, Mineta led the department during the 2001 attacks and was later charged with restoring confidence in air travel in the aftermath of  9/11.