Indian-American Nikki Haley is South Carolina governor
By Arun Kumar, IANSWednesday, January 12, 2011
WASHINGTON - Nikki Haley, the daughter of Sikh immigrant parents from Amritsar, created history Wednesday as she became the first woman governor of South Carolina and the first Indian American woman to take the top state office.
Republican Haley, born Nimrata (Nikki) Randhawa was sworn in as the first non-white governor of the State in an inaugural ceremony on the on the steps of Statehouse in Columbia 24 minutes after noon (10.54 p.m. IST) on a sunny but chilly day.
At 38 the mother of two and second Indian-American governor after Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, also a Republican, who became the first with his election three years ago. She is also the youngest sitting chief executive of an American state.
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)
