Shanti Gandhi (born 10 February 1940) is an India-born American cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon and was a
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
member of the
Kansas House of Representatives
The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for craftin ...
, representing the 52nd District from 2013 to 2015. He won a contested party primary and won again in the
2012 general election.
He arrived in the U.S. in 1967 as a medical graduate from
University of Bombay
The University of Mumbai is a collegiate, state-owned, public research university in Mumbai.
The University of Mumbai is one of the largest universities in the world. , the university had 711 affiliated colleges. Ratan Tata is the appointed ...
.
Shanti is the son of Kantilal Gandhi and Saraswati Gandhi, grandson of
Harilal Gandhi
Harilal Mohandas Gandhi (born Hiralal Mohandas Gandhi; 23 August 1888 – 18 June 1948) was the eldest son of Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi. He had three younger brothers: Manilal Gandhi, Ramdas Gandhi and Devdas Gandhi.
Early life
...
and Gulab Gandhi, and the great-grandson of the Indian Independence movement leader
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
. He retired as a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon from
Stormont–Vail Hospital at
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka ( ; Kansa language, Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the Capital (political), capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the County seat, seat of Shawnee County, Kansas, Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the ...
in 2010.
[
At his request, the news media did not mention his ancestry to Mahatma Gandhi during the 2012 campaign. Gandhi later said he was surprised the media honored his request. Gandhi said he simply wanted to be known as a heart surgeon, father and friend to many; he did not want to win election from the name recognition of being a descendant of the famous Indian leader.
Gandhi came to the U.S. soon after graduation from the University of Bombay, to serve as an intern at a Youngstown, Ohio hospital, at a time when heart surgery was in its infancy. His father had encouraged him to take the internship. Lacking money for travel, the hospital loaned him the money for airfare. He met his wife, Susan, at hospital, where she was a registered nurse. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1975, and started St. Francis Hospital's heart surgery program after being invited by the Topeka hospital in 1978.
]
Committee membership
* Education
* Federal and State Affairs
* Social Services Budget
Elections
2012
Gandhi defeated William Scott Hesse and Dick Jones in a three-way Republican primary on 7 August 2012, and defeated Democratic nominee Theodore "Ted" Ensley in the general election on 6 November 2012, by a margin of 6,472 to 5,425.''Kansas Secretary of State'', "Official Primary Candidate List," accessed 4 April 2013
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References
External links
Votesmart.org-Shanti GandhiCampaign websiteKansas General Assembly profileIndia Journal election report
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gandhi, Shanti
Shanti
1940 births
Living people
American politicians of Indian descent
Indian emigrants to the United States
University of Mumbai alumni
American thoracic surgeons
Indian thoracic surgeons
Politicians from Topeka, Kansas
Republican Party members of the Kansas House of Representatives
Medical doctors from Mumbai
Naturalized citizens of the United States
Asian-American people in Kansas politics
21st-century American politicians
Asian conservatism in the United States