Lahori Ram was the first Indo-American to be appointed to a statewide commission in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. He served as the Economic Development Commissioner of California.

Early life

Ram was born in

Ravidasia Ravidassia or the Ravidas Panth is a religion based on the teachings of Guru Ravidas. It was considered a sect within Sikhism until 2009. However, some Ravidassias continue to maintain Sikh religious practices, including the reverence of the Guru ...

family in Lalwan, Punjab, India. He received his bachelor's degree in economics from Punjab and immigrated to the United States on a student visa in 1972 to pursue postgraduate studies in economics.

Tribute in US House of Representatives

His social and philanthropic services to society were recognised by the

US House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

. Congressman

Jackie Speier Karen Lorraine Jacqueline Speier ( ; born May 14, 1950) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for , serving in Congress from 2008 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Speier represented much of the terr ...

delivered the obituary speech and was remembered by all political representatives in the US House of Representatives.

Socio-political life

Before serving as the Economic Development Commissioner of California, he also served on the state's Technology, Trade, and Commerce Committee and the Transportation Commission. He was co-founder of North America's first Sri Guru

Ravidas Ravidas or Raidas was an Indian mystic poet-saint of the Bhakti movement during the 15th to 16th century CE. Venerated as a ''guru'' (spiritual teacher) in the modern regions of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya P ...

Temple in Pittsburg, California in 1984.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ram, Lahori Ravidassia 21st-century California politicians 1944 births 2009 deaths