You Chung Hong
You Chung Hong | |
---|---|
Born | San Francisco, California | May 4, 1898
Died | November 1977 Los Angeles, California | (aged 79)
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | University of Southern California |
Occupation(s) | Attorney, Community leader |
Known for | Development of Los Angeles Chinatown |
You Chung Hong (Chinese: 洪耀宗 pinyin: Hóng Yàozōng) (May 4, 1898 – November 1977) was an American attorney and community leader who was the second
Biography
Hong was born on May 4, 1898, in
Immigration law attorney
As an attorney, Hong worked to overturn the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, including testifying before the United States Senate on its effects.[7] Hong became the first Chinese American to be eligible to appear before the Supreme Court of the United States when he was admitted in 1933. An active member of the local Chinese community, he was named president of the local chapter of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance when he was 28 years old.[6]
The construction of Union Station in the 1930s involved the destruction of the city's existing Chinatown, and Hong played a pivotal role in developing its replacement, the first in the United States to be owned exclusively by its Chinese residents, both as an investor and in offering legal guidance. He designed a series of buildings on Gin Ling Way, one of which ultimately housed his legal office, and developed the main entrance gate on Broadway and its neon lighting.[6]
His legal practice, the first in Los Angeles owned by a Chinese American, specialized in
After his death, his papers were donated to the Huntington Library, where the "Y.C. Hong: Advocate for Chinese-American Inclusion" exhibit was held on November 21, 2015, to March 22, 2016.[8]
References
- ^ California, The State Bar of. "Attorney Search : The State Bar of California". members.calbar.ca.gov. Retrieved 2017-08-12.
- ^ "Ruling gives posthumous law license to victim of anti-Chinese 1890s". LA Times.
- ^ California, The State Bar of. "Attorney Search : The State Bar of California". members.calbar.ca.gov. Retrieved 2017-08-12.
- ^ Los Angeles Chinatown Visitor Map, Chinatown BID, 2006
- ^ You Chung Hong, Chinese Historical Society of Southern California. Accessed July 11, 2009.
- ^ a b c d Staff. "Chinese American Hero: You Chung Hong", AsianWeek, April 24, 2009. Accessed July 11, 2009.
- ^ "Press Release - Exhibition of Y.C. Hong Archive Materials to Go on View at The Huntington This Fall". Huntington Library. August 11, 2015. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
- ^ Y. C. Hong, www.huntington.org, November 21, 2015