Editing Elaine Chao (section)

===Family===
{{Main|James S. C. Chao|Ruth Mulan Chu Chao}}
[[File:Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen meet with Elaine Chao, who was born in Taiwan, and her father James Si-Cheng Chao who lived in Taiwan for about 10 years.jpg|thumb|275px|Elaine Chao and her father [[James S. C. Chao]] met [[Taiwanese President]] [[Tsai Ing-wen]] at the [[Presidential Office Building, Taiwan|Presidential Office]] in Taipei, [[Taiwan]], in 2016.]]Chao has five younger sisters, including [[Angela Chao|Angela]], former CEO of the Foremost Group.<ref name="ruth">{{cite news|title=Paid Notice: Deaths – Chao, Ruth Mulan Chu|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0DE1D8133AF93BA3575BC0A9619C8B63|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=August 8, 2007|access-date=February 15, 2017|archive-date=October 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171004090110/https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0DE1D8133AF93BA3575BC0A9619C8B63|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="voyage">{{cite news |first1=Michel |last1=Martin |author-link1=Michel Martin |title=For Elaine Chao, A Tough Voyage To U.S. Leadership |url=https://www.npr.org/2012/07/18/156976066/for-elaine-chao-a-tough-voyage-to-u-s-leadership |work=[[NPR]] |date=July 18, 2012 |access-date=April 4, 2018 |archive-date=February 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202074255/https://www.npr.org/2012/07/18/156976066/for-elaine-chao-a-tough-voyage-to-u-s-leadership |url-status=live }}</ref>  In February 2024, Angela died after backing her car into a pond.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Bradsher |first1=Keith |last2=Forsythe |first2=Michael |date=February 14, 2024 |title=Angela Chao, C.E.O. of Family's Big Shipping Company, Dies at 50 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/14/business/angela-chao-dead.html |access-date=February 14, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=February 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240216111258/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/14/business/angela-chao-dead.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Chao's sister Grace is married to [[Gordon Hartogensis]] who served as director of the [[Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation]] (PBGC), a part of the Labor Department, in May 2019.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mangan |first1=Dan |last2=Breuniger |first2=Kevin |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/15/trump-nominates-mitch-mcconnell-in-law-gordon-hartogensis-for-job.html |title=Trump nominates brother-in-law of Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell and Transportation Secretary Chao to run pension agency |work=CNBC |date=May 15, 2018 |access-date=June 12, 2019 |archive-date=September 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190921023942/https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/15/trump-nominates-mitch-mcconnell-in-law-gordon-hartogensis-for-job.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="in-laws">{{cite news |last=Kullgren |first=Ian |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2018/12/17/mitch-mcconnell-know-run-agency-1033119 |title=Want to run an agency? It helps to know Mitch McConnell |work=Politico |date=December 17, 2019 |access-date=June 12, 2019 |archive-date=May 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190527060748/https://www.politico.com/story/2018/12/17/mitch-mcconnell-know-run-agency-1033119 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ai-cio.com/news/pbgc-director-nominee-gets-kicked-back-trump/ |title=PBGC Director Nominee Gets Kicked Back to Trump |work=Chief Investment Officer |date=January 8, 2019 |access-date=June 12, 2019 |archive-date=July 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707150727/https://www.ai-cio.com/news/pbgc-director-nominee-gets-kicked-back-trump/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="confirmed">{{cite news |url=https://www.ai-cio.com/news/senate-confirms-gordon-hartogensis-director-pbgc/ |title=Senate Confirms Gordon Hartogensis as Director of PBGC |work=Chief Investment Officer |date=May 3, 2019 |access-date=June 12, 2019 |archive-date=July 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707131519/https://www.ai-cio.com/news/senate-confirms-gordon-hartogensis-director-pbgc/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Hartogensis co-founded forecasting-software company Petrolsoft in 1989, which was purchased for $60{{spaces}}million by Aspen Technology in 2000.<ref name="in-laws" /> He founded and led application software company Auric Technology LLC until it was sold to a company based in Mexico in 2011 and then helped govern the Hartogensis Family Trust.<ref name="confirmed" /><ref name="in-laws" />

In April 2008, Chao's father gave Chao and McConnell between $5{{spaces}}million and $25{{spaces}}million.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.thenation.com/article/mitch-mcconnells-freighted-ties-shadowy-shipping-company/ |title=Mitch McConnell's Freighted Ties to a Shadowy Shipping Company |last=Fang |first=Lee |date=October 30, 2014 |work=The Nation |access-date=February 7, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0027-8378 |archive-date=December 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209093403/https://www.thenation.com/article/mitch-mcconnells-freighted-ties-shadowy-shipping-company/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first1=John |last1=Bresnahan |first2=Manu |last2=Raju |title=Members' fortunes see steep declines |url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0609/23693.html |work=Politico |date=June 12, 2009 |access-date=February 18, 2015 |archive-date=May 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150507235907/http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0609/23693.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="fang">{{cite news |last1=Fang |first1=Lee |title=Mitch McConnell's Freighted Ties to a Shadowy Shipping Company |url=http://www.thenation.com/article/186689/mitch-mcconnells-freighted-ties-shadowy-shipping-company |work=The Nation |date=October 30, 2014 |access-date=February 18, 2015 |archive-date=February 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150219132408/http://www.thenation.com/article/186689/mitch-mcconnells-freighted-ties-shadowy-shipping-company |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2012, the Chao family donated $40{{spaces}}million to [[Harvard Business School]] for scholarships to students of Chinese heritage and for the Ruth Mulan Chu Chao Center, an [[executive education]] building named for Chao's late mother.<ref>{{cite news |first1=John |last1=Lauerman |title=Harvard Business School Gets $40 Million Gift From Chao Family |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-10-12/harvard-business-school-gets-40-million-gift-from-chao-family |work=Bloomberg Business |date=October 12, 2012 |access-date=March 6, 2017 |archive-date=November 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171112043608/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-10-12/harvard-business-school-gets-40-million-gift-from-chao-family |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Harvard Business School Building Boom Continues |url=http://harvardmagazine.com/2012/10/harvard-business-school-new-chao-building-fellowships |work=[[Harvard Magazine]] |date=October 12, 2012 |access-date=February 18, 2015 |archive-date=February 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221042830/http://harvardmagazine.com/2012/10/harvard-business-school-new-chao-building-fellowships |url-status=live }}</ref> It is the first Harvard Business School building named after a woman<ref>{{cite news |first1=Brandon J. |last1=Dixon |title=Business School Names First HBS Building after a Woman, Asian American |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2016/6/16/hbs-chao-center-dedicated |work=The Harvard Crimson |date=June 16, 2016 |access-date=July 17, 2019 |archive-date=March 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308133739/https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2016/6/16/hbs-chao-center-dedicated/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and the first building named after an American of Asian ancestry.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.hbs.edu/about/campus-and-culture/campus-built-on-philanthropy/Pages/chao-center.aspx |title=Chao Center – About Us |website=Harvard Business School |access-date=February 6, 2017 |archive-date=February 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226121751/https://www.hbs.edu/about/campus-and-culture/campus-built-on-philanthropy/Pages/chao-center.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Ruth Mulan Chu Chao]] returned to school at age 51 to earn a master's degree in [[Asian literature]] and [[History of Asia|history]] from [[St. John's University (New York City)|St. John's University]] in the [[Queens]] [[borough (New York City)|borough]] of New York City.<ref name="ruth" />

Elaine Chao along with the Chao family are Christians.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://english.cw.com.tw/article/article.action?id=3739|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250208063131/https://english.cw.com.tw/article/article.action?id=3739|archive-date=8 February 2025|access-date=8 February 2025|title=Exclusive: Elaine Chao and Her Father Talk About Healing After Tragic Loss|last1=Lin|first1=Rebecca|date=10 July 2024|website=CommonWealth Magazine|publisher=天下雜誌|quote=The Chaos are devout Christians.}}</ref>