Angela Chao, Mitch McConnell’s sister-in-law, dies in car accident

Angela Chao, the CEO of dry bulk shipping company Foremost Group and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s sister-in-law, has died. She was 50 years old.

“It is with deep sadness that Foremost Group announces the passing of Angela Chao in a tragic car accident,” the company said in a statement released Tuesday night. “Angela Chao was a formidable executive and shipping industry leader, as well as a proud and loving daughter, sister, aunt, wife and mother.”

Details about the deadly crash that killed Chao — including when it happened and what caused it — were not immediately available.

Chao was one of six children including former Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao. Elaine has been married to McConnell for more than 30 years.

“Angela’s name in Chinese sounds like the characters for peace and prosperity. She certainly gave more than her share of both to this world,” her father, James Chao, said in a statement to NBC News. “Her absence leaves a void not only in our hearts, but in the Asian-American community.”

He went on to remembered Chao as “a wonderful and inquisitive companion” who also tagged along after him on “Take your Daughter to Work Day,” hosted by the company she would one day go on to lead.

In 2018, Chao was appointed CEO of the Foremost Group, a prominent business founded by her father and late mother, Ruth Mulan Chu Chao.

“Building on the legacy of honor, integrity and performance established by her father and our company’s founder, Dr. James S. C. Chao, she made exceptional customer service, efficiency, and superior performance the hallmarks of her leadership,” Foremost Group said in a statement. “She was also a passionate advocate for incorporating environmentally sustainable practices throughout the company’s operations.”

The U.S. Coast Guard Academy in a post on X offered their condolences and called Chao a “trailblazer in the maritime industry.”

Chao further served a number of organizations, holding board positions on the American Bureau of Shipping Council, Harvard Business School’s Board of Dean’s Advisors, and the Metropolitan Opera, among others. She was also founding advisory council co-chair of the nonprofit The Asian American Foundation, as well as chair of the foundation’s education committee, which aimed to help students “access quality education.”