26/08/2026
From Tiaong to the U.S. Capitol: Representative Stephen Clement “Steve” Austria
A member of the Republican Party, Stephen Clement “Steve” Austria served as a U.S. Representative for Ohio’s 7th Congressional District from 2009 to 2013. Before his election to Congress, he served in both the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate. In a remarkable 14-year career in elected office, Austria never lost an election. In December 2011, he announced that he would not seek reelection to the U.S. House in the 2012 elections.
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on October 12, 1958, Austria is the son of Jean Brockman, a nurse, and Dr. Clemente Gusi Austria, an ear, nose, and throat specialist.
But while Steve Austria was born and raised in the United States, his paternal roots lead directly to Lumingon, Tiaong, Quezon, where his father was born and raised before leaving for the United States to pursue his medical education.
Dr. Clemente “Clement” Gusi Austria
Dr. Austria was the son of Esteban Austria and Engracia Gusi of Lumingon, Tiaong, Quezon. He was studying medicine at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila when World War II interrupted his studies. He joined the guerrilla resistance and fought against the Japanese forces under Gen. Douglas MacArthur.
After the war, Dr. Austria traveled to the United States on a student visa to continue his medical studies. It was there that he met Jean Brockman, whom he later married. He became an American citizen in 1952.
Dr. Austria eventually established his medical practice in Xenia, Ohio, where he served the community until his death in 1986. Beyond medicine, he was active in civic and community affairs, serving as president of the Xenia Area Chamber of Commerce and as a member of the Greene County Republican Central Committee.
His journey from Lumingon, Tiaong to Ohio would eventually connect a small town in Quezon to the highest levels of American public service through his son.
A “Great American Family” from Tiaong
The Austria family's achievements were recognized in 1984 when they were named “Ohio Family of the Year.” The family was later selected as one of nine recipients of the “Great American Family” award, which was presented by First Lady Nancy Reagan at the White House.
Behind this celebrated American family, however, was a distinctly Filipino story: a physician from Lumingon, Tiaong, Quezon, whose journey across the Pacific ultimately led to his son, Stephen Clement “Steve” Austria, serving in the U.S. Congress.
