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Born in San Francisco, California as Chen Yuk Chow, Edward K.T. Chen, the son of Chin Yuen Yee and Chin Luk Oi, had a profound impact on the lives of Americans, particularly those of Chinese descent. In 1928, he attended Columbia University in New York City. While there, he worked as a typesetter and reporter for the Chinese Nationalist Daily, a Chinese language newspaper. In November 1932, Chen came to Galveston as secretary of the Republic of China’s First Vice Consulate for the southern U.S. The office moved to Houston the next year, and he simultaneously attended the University of Houston, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees and became the first Chinese-American professor in the city. In 1934, Chen married Janie Ng (d. 1965); the couple had two children. While in Houston, Chen helped to increase the visibility of Chinese and Chinese Americans. In 1937, his lobbying efforts helped to defeat a bill that would have prevented Chinese from owning land in Texas. In 1940, he helped organize the forerunner of the First Chinese Church in Houston. During World War II, he was a spokesman for the Republic of China, which promoted Chen to Deputy Consul in 1948. During the Korean war, he worked to convince the federal government that most Chinese Americans were loyal to the U.S., translated Chinese intelligence and taught Cantonese to Federal Bureau of Investigation agents. In 1954, Chen was the founding president of the Houston Lodge of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance, fighting prejudice directed toward Chinese Texans. Today Chen is remembered as a diplomat and educator whose work made a lasting impact on the lives of Chinese Americans and others in Houston and throughout the United States. |
