Judy Chu was sworn in as the first Chinese-American Congresswoman in U.S. history in Wahsington on Thursday.

Chu, a Democrat from California, was sworn in by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Her husband, Mike Eng, also attended the ceremony.

Chu filled the House seat for 32nd district in California left open by Hilda Solis, who resigned to become U.S. Secretary of Labor earlier this year.

Pelosi said in a statement that as the first Chinese-American woman elected to Congress, Chu's victory is "a source of pride to many."

"Over her 24 years in public service, Congresswoman Chu has been committed to the essential issues facing our nation: the strength of our economy, the education of our children, and the health of all Americans," she said.

Chu became the first Chinese-American woman in U.S. Congress after winning a runoff election for the House seat for 32nd district in California on Tuesday.

The former vice chair of the California State Board of Equalization received 61.67 percent of the vote, beating Republican Betty Chu, who is her cousin by marriage.

Chu was born in Los Angeles, California in 1953, and her father was also born in the United States.

Her mother, however, came from south China's Guangdong Province.

Chu's husband Mike Eng is a member of the California Assembly.

She visited China three times in the 1990s.

(Xinhua News Agency July 17, 2009)