Mae Yih
| Mae Yih | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Oregon House of Representatives | |
|
In office 1977–1983 |
|
| Oregon State Senator | |
|
In office 1983–2003 |
|
| Succeeded by | Frank Morse |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
May 4, 1928 Shanghai, China |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
| Spouse(s) | Stephen Yih (deceased) |
| Residence | Albany, Oregon |
| Alma mater |
Barnard College Columbia University |
| Mae Yih | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 鄧稚鳳 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 邓稚凤 | ||||||
|
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| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Xié Dèng Zhìfèng |
Mae Yih (born May 24, 1928), is a former member of both houses of the legislature of the U.S. state of Oregon. She is the first Chinese American to serve in a state senate in the United States.
Yih was born as Chih Feng Dunn on May 24, 1928 in Shanghai, China, to Chun Woo and Fung Wen Feng Dunn. Her family was quite well off, with her father owning two textile mills, a nightclub and a hotel which is now the Peace Hotel, and an automobile dealership. She attended a girls' school, which relocated to a foreign concession during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai, finishing her high school education in 1946. Following high school, Yih began her college education at St. John's University in Shanghai.
In September 1948, Yih transferred to Barnard College in New York City, graduating in 1951 with a bachelor's degree in economics. While at Barnard, the president of the college, Millicent McIntosh, encouraged the students to be involved in decision making. Yih later stated that this served as an inspiration to enter politics. Following the completion of her undergraduate studies, Yih began work on a master's degree in accounting at Columbia University, which she did not complete.
On June 7, 1953, Yih married Stephen Yih at the Riverside Church in New York City. Stephen Yih worked for Wah Chang Corporation, which transferred him to Albany, Oregon in 1956. Yih accompanied him on the move. Stephen Yih was the founder of Wah Chang Corporation, Albany and was president for 20 years. He died in March 2009.
In Albany, Yih volunteered at her children's school, eventually running for the local school board. She started service on the Clover Ridge Elementary School board in 1969, moving to the Albany Union High School board in 1975. In 1976, the local Democratic Party chairperson asked Yih to run for the Oregon State House. Yih won the election, defeating a Republican opponent who had 14 years of incumbency. Yih took office in 1977. She went on to serve three two-year terms in the House.
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