Robert Matsui

A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and Hastings College of Law, Matsui established a private law practice in 1967. He was elected to the Sacramento City Council in 1971, winning reelection in 1975. He became vice mayor in 1977. The following year Matsui was elected to Congress. He had been reelected by large margins. A Democrat, he was an expert on international trade and specialized tax issues. Matsui was a member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, and was a sponsor of measures to provide tax breaks for research and development. After his January 2005 death, his wife Doris, a lobbyist and former Clinton administration official, easily won a March 2005 election to fill his seat.