March Fong Eu papers, circa 1935-2009
- Physical description
- 43 linear feet (56 manuscript boxes, 15 record storage boxes and 1 flat box)
- 3.56 gigabyte(s) of born-digital content
At the library
Special Collections
Finding aid
Online Archive of CaliforniaOn-site access
Collections are moving, which may affect access. Request materials as early as possible. Maximum 5 items per day. Contact specialcollections@stanford.edu for information about access.
| Call number | Note | Status |
|---|---|---|
| M1652 ACCN 2008-329 CARTON 1 | ||
| M1652 ACCN 2008-329 CARTON 2 | ||
| M1652 ACCN 2008-329 CARTON 3 | ||
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| M1652 CARTON 71 | ||
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| M1652 FLAT BOX 67 |
More options
Description
Creators/Contributors
- Author/Creator
- Eu, March Fong.
Contents/Summary
- Finding aid
- Finding Aid
- Summary
- The March Fong Eu papers documents the professional and political activities of March Fong Eu. The collection is approximately 43 linear feet. The collection consists of correspondence, campaign materials, fundraising, campaign finance reports, financial records, flyers, brochures, pamphlets, invitations, schedules, newspaper clippings, memorandums, textbooks, research materials, information about national and international trips, biographical information, ephemera, plaques, and awards. The materials predominantly cover her political campaigns (including fundraising and campaigning for other, predominantly Democratic, candidates), her time in the California Assembly and as California Secretary of State, and her appointment as Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia. The materials include her biographer's research materials and notes as well as manuscript drafts. There are also subject files, information about March Fong Eu's artwork, personal correspondence, and some personal records. There is a small amount of papers documenting her early career as a dental hygienist and serving on the Alameda County Board of Education. The papers are organized into two accession: the first accession, 2008-329, came directly from March Fong Eu, and includes photographs, artwork, memorabilia, ephemera, and media. The second accession, 2010-016, came indirectly from her biographer, Tim Vandehey, who had been using the bulk of the papers
Subjects
- Subjects
- Eu, March Fong.
- California. Secretary of State.
- Asian American women > History > Sources.
- Asian Americans > Cailfornia.
- Political campaigns > United States > History.
- Politicians > California.
- California > History > 20th century > Photographs.
- California > Politics and government > 20th century > Sources.
- Genre
- Correspondence.
- Ephemera.
Bibliographic information
- Earliest possible date
- 1935
- Latest possible date
- 2009
- Note
- Provenance: The papers were received in two segments: the first accession, 2008-329, came directly from March Fong Eu, and includes photographs, artwork, memorabilia, ephemera, and media. The second accession, 2010-016, came indirectly from her biographer, Tim Vandehey, who had been using the bulk of the papers
- Access
- Open for research. Note that material must be requested at least 36 hours in advance of intended use. Note that audiovisual materials must be reformatted to a digital use copy
- Cite as
- [identification of item], March Fong Eu papers (M1652). Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California
- Terms
- While Special Collections is the owner of the physical and digital items, permission to examine collection materials is not an authorization to publish. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. Any transmission or reproduction beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the owners of rights, heir(s) or assigns. See: http://library.stanford.edu/spc/using-collections/permission-publish
- Source
- Gift of March Fong Eu, 2008 and 2010. Accessions 2008-329 and 2010-016
- Note
- March Fong Eu was a long-serving politician from California. She served as California's Secretary of State for nearly twenty years, was a strong advocate for voting rights and broke a number of barriers including being the first Asian-American woman elected to a state legislature, the first woman elected as California Secretary of State, and the first Asian-American elected to a state constitutional office. March Fong Eu was born March Kong on March 29, 1922, in Oakdale, California, in the San Joaquin Valley near Modesto. She was a third-generation Californian and was the youngest of five children. Her parents, Hoy Yuen Kong and Shee Shuey Jue, operated a laundry in Oakdale. The family later movied to San Francisco and then to Richmond. Eu graduated from high school in Richmond and was a top student but her aspirations of becoming a teacher or scientist were thwarted because of the lack of opportunities to Chinese-Americans and women. She instead attended the University of California at Berkeley, earning her bachelor's degree in 1943 and became a dental hygienist. She became interested in politics after serving as the President of the American Dental Hygienists Association, where she advocated for more equal treatment of dental hygienists in the predominantly male dentist profession. She also earned a master of education degree from Mills College in 1947 and a doctorate in education from Stanford in 1954. March Fong Eu was elected to serve on the Alameda County Board of Education from 1954-1964 and served as an educational consultant to a number of school districts. While serving on the Alameda County Board of Education she helped write dental health handbooks for Alameda County Public Schools. In 1966 she was elected to the California State Assembly 15th District, serving parts of Oakland and Castro Valley. She was elected as an Assembly Member four times and served from 1966 until 1974. When she was first elected she was one of only three women Assembly Members, including fellow freshman Yvonne Brathwaite Burke. As an Assembly Member March Fong Eu was focused on gender equality, health care, family planning, consumer protections, and the environment. During her time in the Assembly she was most well-known for her campaign against pay toilets, which she said discriminated against women. To bring attention to this issue she brought a toilet wrapped in chains to the steps of the Capitol and smashed it with a sledgehammer. She later quipped that a vote on a law banning public pay toilets was 'along potty lines'. During her time in the Assembly she was Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Employment and Public Employees and Chairman of the Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and Nutrition. She was also a member of the Health Committee, a member of the Committee on Elections and Reapportionment and a member of the Select Committees on Health Manpower and Medical Malpractice. In 1974 she campaigned and won the race for California's Secretary of State. As Secretary of State she advocated for greater transparency, increased oversight of notaries public, streamlined corporations filing, and eased voter access by allowing voter registration by mail as well as no-excuse absentee voting. She used the office of the Secretary of State to promote California agriculture and international trade. She also strongly pushed for the creation of a museum as a part of the California State Archives. She won five Secretary of State elections. Eu campaigned for U.S. Senator but dropped out partly due to low fundraising and the refusal of her husband, Henry Eu, to release the family's financial information that was required of candidates. In 1994 she resigned from the Secretary of State office after being appointed Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia by President Bill Clinton. Eu served as Ambassador until 1996 when she resigned to be more involved in the Clinton-Gore re-election campaign. Starting during the 1996 presidential campaign she organized a number of speeches and events to counteract the increased xenophobia towards Chinese and Chinese--Americans. In 1998 she campaigned for her son Matt Fong, who was the Republican candidate for Senator running as a moderate. Following the 2000 presidential election debacle in Florida, Eu decided to run again for Secretary of State, losing in the Democratic primary to eventual winner Kevin Shelley. In 2003 she filed paperwork for the Gubernatorial Recall election but withdrew soon after. March Fong Eu married Chester Fong in 1941. They divorced in 1970 and in 1973 she married Henry Eu, a wealthy businessman from Singapore and Hong Kong. March Fong Eu had two children with Chester Fong: Suyin Stein and Matthew Kipling 'Kip' Fong. In 1986 she was brutally attacked in her Los Angeles area home which led her to launch an initiative campaign called Dimes Against Crimes, a ballot initiative which would have created a tax on alcohol to support law enforcement. Eu was also a calligraphy artist. Throughout her long career she served on a number of committees and was the recipient of many local, state, and national awards. She used her positions to speak out against discrimination against women, Asian-Americans, and other marginalized communities. March Fong Eu was very involved in Democratic politics. March Fong Eu died on December 21, 2017, after a fall at her home, in Irvine, California
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