Tye Leung Schulze
Encyclopedia
Tye Leung Schulze was the first Chinese American
woman to cast a ballot in San Francisco on May 19, 1912. The San Francisco Call stated that she was "the first Chinese woman in the history of the world to exercise the electoral franchise." Schulze was also the first Chinese woman hired to work at Angel Island
. She is a designated Women's History Month
Honoree by the National Women's History Project
.
in 1887. She was one of eight children and her father was a Chinese cobbler
while her mother ran a boarding house
. As a teenager she was placed in an arranged marriage
to a man in Butte, Montana
. At 14 she was saved from the arranged marriage by Donaldina Cameron
of the Presbyterian Mission Home. At the Mission she learned to speak English, studied Christianity, and helped Cameron rescue Chinese slaves by acting as an interpreter.
. There she would work with Chinese immigrants who were detained for physical examinations and interrogation
upon their arrival.
In 1912 Lueng was the first Chinese woman to vote in a primary election
. After voting the San Francisco Examiner called the vote "the last word in the modern movement for the complete enfranchisement of women...It was the latest achievement in the great American work of amalgamating and lifting up all the races of the earth."
At Angel Island she would meet immigration inspector Charles Schulze. Intermarriage of Chinese and white Americans were illegal in California so the couple went to Vancouver, Washington
to be legally married. They would be married in October 1913. They had to quit their government jobs after the marriage due to racial prejudice. Schulze would go on to work for the Southern Pacific Company as a mechanic and then as a telephone repairman. The couple would have four children. Schulze would die in 1935 and Lueng would serve as a bookkeeper at the San Francisco Chinese Hospital to support her family. Lueng would go on to work as a night-shift operator at the Chinatown telephone exchange. She spent many years providing interpretation and social services to San Francisco's Chinatown residents.
Chinese American
Chinese Americans represent Americans of Chinese descent. Chinese Americans constitute one group of overseas Chinese and also a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans...
woman to cast a ballot in San Francisco on May 19, 1912. The San Francisco Call stated that she was "the first Chinese woman in the history of the world to exercise the electoral franchise." Schulze was also the first Chinese woman hired to work at Angel Island
United States Immigration Station, Angel Island
Angel Island Immigration Station was an immigrant processing facility on Angel Island, in the San Francisco Bay. It opened in 1910 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is now the site of a museum. The museum and grounds were renovated and reopened to the public in February...
. She is a designated Women's History Month
Women's History Month
Women's History Month is an annual declared month worldwide that highlights contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society. March has been set aside as this month in the United Kingdom and in the United States...
Honoree by the National Women's History Project
National Women's History Project
The National Women's History Project is a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring and preserving women's history. Based out of Santa Rosa, California since 1980, it was started by women's history activists Molly Murphy MacGregor, Mary Ruthsdotter, Maria Cuevas, Paula Hammett and Bette...
.
Early life
Tye Leung was born in San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
in 1887. She was one of eight children and her father was a Chinese cobbler
Cobbler
Cobbler may refer to:* A shoemaker who repairs shoes, rather than manufacturing them .** Cobbler apron, a type of apron that covers both the front and back of the body...
while her mother ran a boarding house
Boarding house
A boarding house, is a house in which lodgers rent one or more rooms for one or more nights, and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months and years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and some services, such as laundry and cleaning, may be supplied. They normally provide "bed...
. As a teenager she was placed in an arranged marriage
Arranged marriage
An arranged marriage is a practice in which someone other than the couple getting married makes the selection of the persons to be wed, meanwhile curtailing or avoiding the process of courtship. Such marriages had deep roots in royal and aristocratic families around the world...
to a man in Butte, Montana
Butte, Montana
Butte is a city in Montana and the county seat of Silver Bow County, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. As of the 2010 census, Butte's population was 34,200...
. At 14 she was saved from the arranged marriage by Donaldina Cameron
Donaldina Cameron
Donaldina Cameron was a Presbyterian missionary, who advocated for social justice. She rescued and educated more than 3,000 Chinese slave girls and women during her ministry, in San Francisco, from 1895 to 1934....
of the Presbyterian Mission Home. At the Mission she learned to speak English, studied Christianity, and helped Cameron rescue Chinese slaves by acting as an interpreter.
Back in the Bay Area
Leung was the first Chinese American to pass the civil service examinations and she was hired to work as an assistant to the matron at the Angel Island Immigration StationUnited States Immigration Station, Angel Island
Angel Island Immigration Station was an immigrant processing facility on Angel Island, in the San Francisco Bay. It opened in 1910 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is now the site of a museum. The museum and grounds were renovated and reopened to the public in February...
. There she would work with Chinese immigrants who were detained for physical examinations and interrogation
Interrogation
Interrogation is interviewing as commonly employed by officers of the police, military, and Intelligence agencies with the goal of extracting a confession or obtaining information. Subjects of interrogation are often the suspects, victims, or witnesses of a crime...
upon their arrival.
In 1912 Lueng was the first Chinese woman to vote in a primary election
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....
. After voting the San Francisco Examiner called the vote "the last word in the modern movement for the complete enfranchisement of women...It was the latest achievement in the great American work of amalgamating and lifting up all the races of the earth."
At Angel Island she would meet immigration inspector Charles Schulze. Intermarriage of Chinese and white Americans were illegal in California so the couple went to Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Incorporated in 1857, it is the fourth largest city in the state with a 2010 census population of 161,791 as of April 1, 2010...
to be legally married. They would be married in October 1913. They had to quit their government jobs after the marriage due to racial prejudice. Schulze would go on to work for the Southern Pacific Company as a mechanic and then as a telephone repairman. The couple would have four children. Schulze would die in 1935 and Lueng would serve as a bookkeeper at the San Francisco Chinese Hospital to support her family. Lueng would go on to work as a night-shift operator at the Chinatown telephone exchange. She spent many years providing interpretation and social services to San Francisco's Chinatown residents.
Legacy
In October 2011 the story of Tye Leung Schulze was told through a play staring actress Lily Tung.Further reading
- Yung, Judy. Unbound Voices: A Documentary History of Chinese Women in San Francisco. Berkeley: University of California Press (1999). ISBN 0520218604