1She became a U.S. citizen when she was 19, attended college at Mount Holyoke, and then got an MBA at Harvard Business School.
U.S. Department of Transportation 2In 1991 George H. W. Bush appointed her director of the Peace Corps.
3In 1993 she married Mitch McConnell, who is now the Senate Majority Leader.
The couple was set up on a blind date by a mutual friend.
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4The two married on Ronald Reagan's birthday.
Win McNamee/Getty Images "Before he was [Senate Majority] leader he actually cooked," Chao told CBS News. "I call him my low-maintenance husband."
5Her father, Dr. James S.C. Chao, is a successful businessman.
Photo by Cheriss May/NurPhoto via Getty Images 6She was George W. Bush's labor secretary from 2001 to 2009.
JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images Chao was the first Asian-American woman to serve in a cabinet position and the only member of the Bush Administration to serve for all eight years.
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7She's campaigned on her husband's behalf.
Win McNamee/Getty Images 8Chao was sworn in as the Trump administration's transportation secretary on January 31, 2017.
Alex Wong/Getty Images Her extended family of 25 (including her husband and father) were there for the ceremony overseen by Vice President Mike Pence in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
9Chao resigned after the riot at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images "Yesterday, our country experienced a traumatic and entirely avoidable event as supporters of the President stormed the Capitol building following a rally he addressed," Chao wrote in a statement posted to Twitter, announcing her resignation. "As I'm sure is the case with many of you, it has deeply troubled me in a way that I simply cannot set aside."
Sam Dangremond is a Contributing Digital Editor at Town & Country, where he covers men's style, cocktails, travel, and the social scene.
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