Shien Biau Woo
Encyclopedia
Shien Biau "S.B." Woo (born 1937) is an American professor and politician from Newark, in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party and served as the 21st Lieutenant Governor of Delaware
.
, Ningbo
, Zhejiang Province. Woo was born in 1937 in Shanghai
, China
. He fled the communist revolution in 1949 with his parents and came to the United States at the age of 18 from Hong Kong. He received undergraduate degrees in Mathematics and Physics from Georgetown College in Kentucky and his Ph.D. in Physics from Washington University in St. Louis.
He married Katy in 1963 and they have two children, Chi I. and Chi Lan. In 1966 he joined the faculty of the University of Delaware
, where he became a professor of physics and astronomy. He retired in 2002 after 36 years.
and David B. McBride, of New Castle
. In the general election he narrowly defeated Republican Battle R. Robinson of Georgetown
, who was the first woman to practice law in Sussex County, and the assistant legal counsel to retiring Governor Pierre S. du Pont, IV
. Woo thus became one of the highest ranking Chinese-American public office holders in the nation and served one term from January 15, 1985 until January 20, 1989.
Woo narrowly won the Democratic primary election for U.S. Senator in 1988, defeating Samuel S. Beard, an heir to a railroad fortune, and resident of Greenville
, Delaware. In fact, the election appeared to be lost until an error in the tabulation was discovered, which changed the result. Nevertheless, Woo lost the general election to the incumbent Republican U.S. Senator William V. Roth, Jr.
. Likewise, in 1992, he was the Democratic candidate for the U.S. House, but lost the election to retiring Governor Michael N. Castle.
Woo became an Independent in 2000 and announced his intention not to accept a federal appointment in order to advance public perception of his neutrality without any personal partisan benefit.
, a group that attempts to organize Asian Pacific American
s (APAs) into a swing bloc-vote in presidential elections, intending to induce both major political parties to take the interests of the APA community into consideration. He also serves as a Trustee of the University of Delaware
, an Institute Fellow at the Institute of Politics, the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
.
A life-sized picture of him is displayed in Smithsonian's
National Museum of American History
in Washington D.C. Another picture of him is in an interactive display in the lobby of Asia Society in New York City. In 2000, A Magazine
ranked him the 6th of the 25 Most Influential Asian Americans.
Lieutenant Governor of Delaware
The Lieutenant Governor of Delaware is the second ranking executive officer of the U.S. state of Delaware. Lieutenant Governors are elected for a term of four years in the same general election as the U.S. President and take office the following January....
.
Early life and family
Woo's ancestral hometown is YuyaoYuyao
Yuyao is a city in Zhejiang province, China, capital of Yuyao County, Ningbo. Administratively Yuyao is under the direct jurisdiction of Ningbo....
, Ningbo
Ningbo
Ningbo is a seaport city of northeastern Zhejiang province, Eastern China. Holding sub-provincial administrative status, the municipality has a population of 7,605,700 inhabitants at the 2010 census whom 3,089,180 in the built up area made of 6 urban districts. It lies south of the Hangzhou Bay,...
, Zhejiang Province. Woo was born in 1937 in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. He fled the communist revolution in 1949 with his parents and came to the United States at the age of 18 from Hong Kong. He received undergraduate degrees in Mathematics and Physics from Georgetown College in Kentucky and his Ph.D. in Physics from Washington University in St. Louis.
He married Katy in 1963 and they have two children, Chi I. and Chi Lan. In 1966 he joined the faculty of the University of Delaware
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
, where he became a professor of physics and astronomy. He retired in 2002 after 36 years.
Political career
In his first attempt at public office, Woo was elected Lieutenant Governor in 1984. He won the Democratic primary election by defeating two veteran State Senators, Nancy W. Cook of DoverDover, Delaware
The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware...
and David B. McBride, of New Castle
New Castle, Delaware
New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, six miles south of Wilmington, situated on the Delaware River. In 1900, 3,380 people lived here; in 1910, 3,351...
. In the general election he narrowly defeated Republican Battle R. Robinson of Georgetown
Georgetown, Delaware
Georgetown is a town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to 2010 census figures, the population of the town is 6,422, an increase of 38.3% over the previous decade...
, who was the first woman to practice law in Sussex County, and the assistant legal counsel to retiring Governor Pierre S. du Pont, IV
Pierre S. du Pont, IV
Pierre Samuel "Pete" du Pont IV is an American lawyer and politician from Rockland, in New Castle County, Delaware, near Wilmington. He is a member of the Republican Party, who served three terms as U.S...
. Woo thus became one of the highest ranking Chinese-American public office holders in the nation and served one term from January 15, 1985 until January 20, 1989.
Woo narrowly won the Democratic primary election for U.S. Senator in 1988, defeating Samuel S. Beard, an heir to a railroad fortune, and resident of Greenville
Greenville, Delaware
Greenville is a census-designated place in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 2,326 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Greenville is located at ....
, Delaware. In fact, the election appeared to be lost until an error in the tabulation was discovered, which changed the result. Nevertheless, Woo lost the general election to the incumbent Republican U.S. Senator William V. Roth, Jr.
William V. Roth, Jr.
William Victor "Bill" Roth, Jr. was an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a veteran of World War II and a member of the Republican Party, who served as U.S. Representative and U.S...
. Likewise, in 1992, he was the Democratic candidate for the U.S. House, but lost the election to retiring Governor Michael N. Castle.
Woo became an Independent in 2000 and announced his intention not to accept a federal appointment in order to advance public perception of his neutrality without any personal partisan benefit.
Professional career
Woo is a leader in the greater Chinese American community throughout the country from whom his political activities dependably received strong financial backing. He is the past-president of the 80-20 Initiative80-20 Initiative
80-20 Initiative is a national nonpartisan political organization dedicated to winning equal opportunity and justice for all Asian Americans through a bloc vote: to unite 80% of the Asian American voters behind the presidential candidate who best represents the interests of Asian Americans...
, a group that attempts to organize Asian Pacific American
Asian Pacific American
Asian-Pacific American or Asian-Pacific Islander is a term sometimes used in the United States to include both Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans....
s (APAs) into a swing bloc-vote in presidential elections, intending to induce both major political parties to take the interests of the APA community into consideration. He also serves as a Trustee of the University of Delaware
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
, an Institute Fellow at the Institute of Politics, the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
A life-sized picture of him is displayed in Smithsonian's
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
National Museum of American History
National Museum of American History
The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific and military history. Among the items on display are the original Star-Spangled Banner and Archie Bunker's...
in Washington D.C. Another picture of him is in an interactive display in the lobby of Asia Society in New York City. In 2000, A Magazine
A Magazine
A Magazine was founded in 1989 by Jeff Yang, Amy Chu, Sandi Kim and Bill Yao to cover Asian American issues and culture, and grew out of a campus magazine Yang edited while an undergraduate at Harvard University....
ranked him the 6th of the 25 Most Influential Asian Americans.
Almanac
Elections are held the first Tuesday after November 1. The Lieutenant Governor takes office the third Tuesday of January and has a four year term.| Public Offices | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office | Type | Location | Elected | Began office | Ended office | notes |
| Lt. Governor Lieutenant Governor of Delaware The Lieutenant Governor of Delaware is the second ranking executive officer of the U.S. state of Delaware. Lieutenant Governors are elected for a term of four years in the same general election as the U.S. President and take office the following January.... |
Executive Executive (government) Executive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term... |
Dover Dover, Delaware The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware... |
1984 | January 15, 1985 | January 20, 1989 | |
| Election results | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Election | Subject | Party | Votes | % | Opponent | Party | Votes | % | ||
| 1984 | Lt. Governor Lieutenant Governor of Delaware The Lieutenant Governor of Delaware is the second ranking executive officer of the U.S. state of Delaware. Lieutenant Governors are elected for a term of four years in the same general election as the U.S. President and take office the following January.... |
Primary Primary election A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election.... |
Shien Biau Woo | Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
14,131 | 42% | Nancy W. Cook David B. McBride |
Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
10,590 9,260 |
31% 27% |
||
| 1984 | Lt. Governor Lieutenant Governor of Delaware The Lieutenant Governor of Delaware is the second ranking executive officer of the U.S. state of Delaware. Lieutenant Governors are elected for a term of four years in the same general election as the U.S. President and take office the following January.... |
General | Shien Biau Woo | Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
121,095 | 50% | Battle R. Robinson | Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
120,666 | 50% | ||
| 1988 United States Senate elections, 1988 The United States Senate election, of November 8, 1988 was an election for the United States Senate in which, in spite of the Republican victory by George H. W. Bush in the presidential election, the Republicans suffered a net loss of one seat in the Senate... |
U.S. Senator United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each... |
Primary | Shien Biau Woo | Democratic | 20,225 | 50% | Samuel S. Beard | Democratic | 20,154 | 50% | ||
| 1988 United States Senate elections, 1988 The United States Senate election, of November 8, 1988 was an election for the United States Senate in which, in spite of the Republican victory by George H. W. Bush in the presidential election, the Republicans suffered a net loss of one seat in the Senate... |
U.S. Senator United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each... |
General | Shien Biau Woo | Democratic | 92,378 | 38% | |
William V. Roth, Jr. William V. Roth, Jr. William Victor "Bill" Roth, Jr. was an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a veteran of World War II and a member of the Republican Party, who served as U.S. Representative and U.S... |
Republican | 151,115 | 62% | ||
| 1992 United States House elections, 1992 The United States House of Representatives elections in 1992 coincided with the 1992 presidential election, in which Democrats Bill Clinton and Al Gore were elected as President and Vice President, respectively, defeating Republican incumbent President George H. W... |
U.S. Representative United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution... |
Primary | Shien Biau Woo | Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
28,732 | 74% | Ernest L. Ercole | Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
10,329 | 26% | ||
| 1992 United States House elections, 1992 The United States House of Representatives elections in 1992 coincided with the 1992 presidential election, in which Democrats Bill Clinton and Al Gore were elected as President and Vice President, respectively, defeating Republican incumbent President George H. W... |
U.S. Representative United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution... |
General | Shien Biau Woo | Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
117,426 | 43% | Michael N. Castle Michael N. Castle Michael "Mike" Newbold Castle is a former Governor and former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1993 until 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party.... |
Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
153,037 | 55% | ||
External links
Places with more information
- Delaware Historical SocietyDelaware Historical SocietyThe Delaware Historical Society began in 1864 as an effort to preserve documents from the Civil War. Since then, it has expanded into a state-wide historical institution with several venues and a major museum in Wilmington and the historic Read House & Gardens in New Castle.The society...
; website; 505 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801; (302) 655-7161 - University of DelawareUniversity of DelawareThe university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
; Library website; 181 South College Avenue, Newark, Delaware 19717; (302) 831-2965