{{short description|American politician (born 1972)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Cy Thao | state_house = Minnesota | state = Minnesota | district = 65A | term_start = 2003 | term_end = 2011 | preceded = Andy Dawkins | succeeded = Rena Moran | party = Democratic | birth_date = {{Birth date and age |1972|3|2}} | birth_place = Laos | death_date = | death_place = | alma_mater = University of Minnesota, Morris | spouse = Lee Vang | children = 2 | image = Cy Thao.jpg }} '''Cy Thao''' (born March 2, 1972) is a Laotian-born Hmong American politician who served as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2003 to 2011.
== Early life and education == In 1975, Thao's family fled from Communists in Laos and lived in a refugee camp in Thailand until moving to the United States in 1980. Shortly thereafter, he joined the Boy Scouts of America and attained the rank of Eagle Scout. He credits Scouting with helping him blend into American society and teaching him the values of community obligation.<ref name="honor">{{cite book | last = Townley | first = Alvin | date = 2006-12-26 | url = http://www.thomasdunnebooks.com/TD_TitleDetail.aspx?ISBN=0312366531 | title = Legacy of Honor: The Values and Influence of America's Eagle Scouts | publisher = St. Martin's Press | location = New York | pages = 118–119 | isbn = 0-312-36653-1 | access-date = 2006-12-29 | archive-date = 2006-12-19 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061219180428/http://www.thomasdunnebooks.com/TD_TitleDetail.aspx?ISBN=0312366531 | url-status = dead }}</ref> Thao is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Morris (UMM).<ref name="leg.state.mn.us">{{cite web|title=Minnesota Legislators Past & Present - Legislator Record - Thao, Cy|url=http://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail.asp?ID=10790|access-date=2010-07-20|publisher=Leg.state.mn.us}}</ref>
== Career == A Democrat, Thao was first elected in 2002.<ref name="leg.state.mn.us" /> He did not seek re-election in 2010, and left office on January 3, 2011.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/polinaut/archive/2010/02/cy_thao_wont_ru.shtml|title = Capitol View®| date=November 6, 2020 }}</ref> Thao represented District 65A, which includes portions of Saint Paul.
==See also== {{Portal|Scouting}} * History of the Hmong in Minneapolis–Saint Paul
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{MN-legdb|10790}} * [https://beacon.schneidercorp.com/Application.aspx?AppID=1245&LayerID=41266&PageTypeID=4&PageID=15278&Q=1258383918&KeyValue=NN81058 Cy Thao biography at Ramsey County Historical Society]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thao, Cy}} Category:Living people Category:1972 births Category:Artists from Saint Paul, Minnesota Category:University of Minnesota Morris alumni Category:Democratic Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Category:American politicians of Hmong descent Category:21st-century members of the Minnesota Legislature Category:Hmong American people from Minneapolis–Saint Paul Category:Politicians from Saint Paul, Minnesota Category:Hmong American state legislators in Minnesota
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