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Thai American

Chang and Eng Bunker Tiger Woods Brenda Song Tammy Duckworth Johnny Damon Nichkhun Horvejkul
Total population
400,000 .09 % of the US population [1]
Regions with significant populations
Northeast, Texas, West Coast
Languages
American English, Isan, Thai, Lao
Religion
Theravada Buddhism
Related ethnic groups
Thai people, Laotian American, Asian Americans

A Thai American is an American of whose parents or grandparents came from Thailand. Many of them may in fact be of Thai Chinese or at least part Chinese ancestry, but they are still considered to be Thai.

History in U.S.[link]

The first Thais known to have come to the United States were Chang and Eng Bunker, the famous Siamese twins. Of mixed Chinese and Thai ancestry, they were brought to the United States in 1830 to become a sideshow attraction. They adopted the family name "Bunker" and later settled in White Plains, North Carolina. Both married and had children, spending alternate nights in each other's home. Their descendants are numerous.

The first Thai to study in the United States was He Thien (original name "Thien Hee"), a Thai Chinese who was brought by a returning American missionary. He Thien graduated from a New York medical college in 1871. He then returned to Siam, eventually adopting a Thai name. An influential businessman and father of Pote Sarasin, a former Prime minister of Thailand, He Thien is the founder of the powerful Sarasin Family.

Thai immigration to the United States proceeded very slowly. It began in earnest during and after the Vietnam War, in which Thailand was an ally of the U.S. and South Vietnam. Records show that in the decade between 1960 and 1970, some 5,000 Thais immigrated to the United States. In the following decade, the number increased to 44,000. From 1981 to 1990, approximately 64,400 Thai citizens moved to the United States.

According to the 2000 census there were 150,093 Thais in the United States.

In 2009, 304,160 U.S. residents listed themselves as Thais.^[2]

Demographics[link]

Los Angeles, California has the largest Thai population outside of Asia. It is home to the world's first Thai Town. In 2002, it was estimated that over 80,000 Thais and Thai Americans live in Los Angeles. Other large Thai communities are in Clark County, Nevada; Cook County, Illinois; Orange County, California; San Bernardino County, California; San Francisco, California; and Fairfax County, Virginia.

Cultural influence on America[link]

Thai Americans are famous for bringing Thai cooking to the United States. Thai cuisine is popular across the country. Even non-Thai restaurants may include Thai-influenced dishes on their menu.

Thai culture's prominence in the United States is disproportionate to their numbers. The stationing of American troops in Thailand during the Vietnam War exposed the GIs to Thai culture and cuisine, and many of them came home with Thai wives.

Political involvement[link]

Formerly, the Thai American community took no part in politics. However, with the recent controversy over former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, activity in the Thai community increased. Prior to his overthrow, there had been protests against him at the Thai consulate in Los Angeles.

In 2003, two Thai Americans ran in municipal elections, one in Anaheim, California, the other in Houston, Texas. Both lost. However, on November 7, 2006, Gorpat Henry Charoen became the first U.S. official of Thai origin, when he was elected to the La Palma City Council in California. On December 18, 2007, he became the first Thai American mayor of a U.S. city.

Tammy Duckworth, a Thai American Iraq War veteran, ran for Congress as a Democrat in Illinois's 6th district in the 2006 mid-term election. She was narrowly defeated, and is now the Assistant Secretary of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. She was previously the director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs. She was considered a likely nominee for appointment to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by Barack Obama's election to the Presidency of the United States; however, Roland Burris was appointed instead.

Bhumibol Adulyadej, the King and Head of the State of Thailand, was born at the Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on December 5, 1927. At the time, his father was studying at Harvard University. He is the only American-born monarch in history.

Notable Thai Americans[link]

• Bundit Ungrangsee, symphony conductor
• Chang and Eng Bunker, Siamese twins
• Michael Chaturantabut, Actor and Martial Artist
• Tammy Duckworth, politician ans Military personnel
• Cherry Chevapravatdumrong, Producer and Story Editor on Family Guy
• Porntip Nakhirunkanok, Miss Universe
• Brenda Song, actress
• Tiger Woods, part-Thai professional golfer
• Lada Engchawadechasilp, beauty paegant queen
• Jocelyn Seagrave, television actress
• Johnny Damon, MLB Player
• Nichkhun Horvejkul, member of South Korean boy band, 2PM
• S.P. Somtow, writer
• Stacy Prammanasudh, golfer
• Kevin Kaesviharn, football player
• Eric Koston, professional skater
• Thakoon Panichgul, fashion designer
• Tera Patrick, half-Thai porn actress
• Utt Panichkul, actor, model and VJ
• Tata Young, half-Thai singer, actress and former model who lives in Bangkok
• Todd Angkasuwan, music video and documentary film director.
• Anthony Ampaipitakwong, soccer player
• Lynn Kriengkrairut, ice dancer
• Tamarine Tanasugarn, professional Tennis Player

See also[link]

• Thai people

Sources[link]

1. We the People Asians in the United States Census 2000 Special Reports
2. Vong, Pueng. Unrest in the Homeland Awakens the Thai Community IMDiversity March 29, 2006
3. Asian American Action Fund 2006 endorsed candidates

References[link]

External links[link]

• ThaiNewYork.com
• Thaitown USA News
• Asian Pacific Newspaper
• Siam Media Newspaper
• Sereechai Newspaper
• Yearning to be Free: US Immigration and Thai Sex Workers, Thailand Law Forum, 30 June 2010

v t e Thai diaspora Asia Hong Kong · India · Malaysia · United Arab Emirates Oceania Australia · New Zealand Elsewhere Canada · United Kingdom · United States

v t e Asian Americans East Asian Chinese (Tibetan1) Japanese Korean Mongolian Taiwanese South Asian2 Bangladeshi Indian Indo-Caribbean Nepalese Pakistani Sri Lankan Tamil Southeast Asian Burmese Cambodian Filipino Hmong Indonesian Laotian Mien Singaporean Thai Vietnamese Other Afro-Asian Amerasian Asian Hispanic and Latino Americans Eurasian Multiracial American Punjabi Mexican History General Immigration Military Topics Arts and Entertainment Demographics Politics Stereotypes 1 The US Census Bureau reclassifies anyone identifying as "Tibetan American" as "Chinese American".[1] 2 The US Census Bureau considers Afghanistan a South Asian country, but does not classify Afghan Americans as Asian.[2]

Garrett Willis
Personal information
Full name	Garrett Michael Willis
Born	(1973-11-21) November 21, 1973 (age 38) Charlotte, North Carolina
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	175 lb (79 kg; 12.5 st)
Nationality	United States
Residence	Knoxville, Tennessee
Career
College	East Tennessee State University
Turned professional	1996
Current tour(s)	PGA Tour Nationwide Tour
Professional wins	6
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	1
Nationwide Tour	2
Best results in Major Championships
Masters Tournament	DNP
U.S. Open	CUT: 1998, 1999
The Open Championship	DNP
PGA Championship	DNP

Garrett Michael Willis (born November 21, 1973) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour.

Willis was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. He attended East Tennessee State University where he was member of the golf team, a first-team All-American his senior year. He won the Canadian Amateur Championship in 1995. He graduated and turned professional in 1996.

Willis began his career in professional golf playing on the Hooters Tour and in selected international events. He then moved up to the BUY.COM Tour (the precursor of the Nationwide Tour). Willis made his debut on the PGA Tour at the Touchstone Energy Tucson Open in 2001, and became the fourth Tour player to win in his first start as a member joining Marty Fleckman (1967), Ben Crenshaw (1973) and Robert Gamez (1990).^[1]

In recent years, Willis has split his playing time between the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour. He posted a Nationwide Tour victory in 2005 at the Envirocare Utah Classic. He came close to winning again on the Nationwide Tour in 2007, when he and Justin Bolli finished tied for second, a single stroke behind Jay Williamson in the Fort Smith Classic.^[1]

Willis won again in 2009 on the Nationwide Tour at the WNB Golf Classic by one stroke over Chad Collins. He finished 12th on the money list to earn his 2010 PGA Tour card.

Willis lives in Knoxville, Tennessee with his wife, Jennifer.

Professional wins (6)[link]

PGA Tour wins (1)[link]

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning Score	Margin of Victory	Runner-up
1	Jan 15, 2001	Touchstone Energy Tucson Open	-15 (71-69-64-69=273)	1 stroke	Kevin Sutherland

Nationwide Tour wins (2)[link]

• 2005 Envirocare Utah Classic
• 2009 WNB Golf Classic

Other wins (3)[link]

• 1996 Decatur Dailey Hooters Tour Championship (NGA Hooters Tour)
• 1997 Panama Open
• 2000 Tennessee Open

Results in major championships[link]

DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.

See also[link]

• 2000 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
• 2009 Nationwide Tour graduates

References[link]

External links[link]

• Garrett Willis at the PGA Tour official site
• Garrett Willis at the Official World Golf Ranking official site