Loved ones revealed this week that Angela Chao, a 50-year-old shipping executive and sister-in-law to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), died in a Texas car crash on Saturday.
Chao’s family confirmed her death in a statement, in which her dad said losing her—the youngest of six daughters—at “such a young age is something we never even imagined, and our entire family is devastated with grief.”
Details about the crash itself were not released.
ADVERTISEMENT
Chao was the chair and chief executive of the Foremost Group, owned by her family, which operates a global fleet of bulk carrier ships that transport commodities like iron ore and soybeans.
Chao’s older sister, former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, is married to McConnell. The senator had not put out a statement about his sister-in-law’s death as of Wednesday afternoon.
Chao attended Harvard’s business school, graduating in three years before she began working under her father, Dr. James SC Chao, at Foremost Group. She left her mark at the university, with a case study she penned as a student about international shipping now being part of the required curriculum for first-year Harvard business students.
She also had a love for the arts, having served on the board of MoMA and the Metropolitan Opera.
“As a daughter, sister, mother, aunt, wife and friend, she was unfailingly filial, thoughtful, kind and devoted,” her dad’s statement read. “These qualities were complemented by a spirited personality, exceptional intelligence, compassion for all, and a wonderful sense of humor. She kept us laughing and smiling.”
