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Hong Family Papers Addenda
mssHongfam1
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Hong family papers addenda
Creator:
Hong (Family)
Identifier/Call Number: mssHongfam1
Physical Description:
60.4 Linear Feet
(76 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1910-2004
Abstract: This collection contains 76 boxes of
addenda to the collection of the papers and photographs of the Hong family, a family of
prominent Chinese-American community leaders in Los Angeles, California, specifically
focused on the papers and photographs of immigration lawyer You Chung Hong (1898-1977), his
wife, Mabel Hong (1907-1998) and their two sons, lawyer Nowland C. Hong (born 1934) and
architect Roger S. Hong (1941-2006).
Language of Material: Materials are in English and
Chinese.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
the Huntington Library for more information.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from
or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The
responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining
necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
[Identification of item]. Hong Family Papers Addenda, The Huntington Library, San Marino,
California.
Gift of Roger S. Hong on June 26, 2006.
You Chung Hong (May 4, 1898 - November 8, 1977) was a prominent Chinese American
immigration lawyer based in Los Angeles, California. He was one of the first Chinese
Americans to pass, in 1923, the California State Bar exam. Born in San Francisco,
California, in 1898, Y. C. was the son of a restaurant owner based in Daggett, California.
He was raised in San Francisco by his mother after his father passed away when Y. C. was
five years old. After graduating from high school, Y. C. settled briefly in Boston,
Massachusetts, before returning to Los Angeles to work for the U.S. Immigration Service as
an interpreter from 1918 to 1927 for court cases involving Chinese applicants for admission
into the U.S. During the early 1920s, while working full-time for the U.S. Immigration
Bureau, Y. C. enrolled in night classes at the University of Southern California School of
Law. He earned his LL.B. in 1924 and LL.M. in 1925. From that point on, Y. C. became an
active and successful immigration attorney by advocating for the right of Chinese Americans
to bring their Chinese wives to the U.S. and pushing for the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion
Acts. He was one of the key members testifying on behalf of the Chinese American Citizens
Alliance before the Senate and House Immigration Committees in 1928 in Washington D.C. He
testified in 1952 before a hearing of President Truman's Commission on Immigration and
Naturalization. He served two terms as Grand President of the Chinese American Citizens
Alliance (1949-1953), 14 terms as President of CACA's Los Angeles Lodge (1926-1949), and
Chairman of the Chinese Times Publishing Company. In addition to his accomplishments in the
legal field, Y. C. was also one of the founding members of Los Angeles New Chinatown (1938).
He was married to Mabel Hong, and together they had two sons, Nowland and Roger.
Mabel Hong (May 31, 1907 - April 30, 1998) was also an active community leader in the Los
Angeles area. Born May 31, 1907, in Portland, Oregon, Mabel was one of the earliest Chinese
American women to receive a college education in the state of Oregon. She married You Chung
Hong in 1931. In addition to her duties as a homemaker of a large extended family, Mabel
served in leadership roles in the Chinatown chapter of the American Women's Volunteer
Services during World War II, the Chinese Women's Club of Los Angeles, and the Kuun Ying
Club. She was a major influence in the design of the three New Chinatown buildings that were
commissioned by You Chung Hong.
Nowland C. Hong (born December 7, 1934) was the first of two sons of Y. C. and Mabel. He
graduated from Pomona College in 1956 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He then went on to
study law at the University of Southern California School of Law, earning his Juris Doctor
degree in 1960 and passed the California State Bar exam in 1961. In the same year he was
appointed Deputy City Attorney of Los Angeles by then City Attorney Roger Arnebergh. Nowland
also served as the Chief General Counsel for the Board of Harbor Commissioners of the city
of Los Angeles. Nowland is currently (2010) a senior partner for a private law firm. In
addition to professional duties as a lawyer, Nowland was one of the founding members and
president for two terms of the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association and Grand
President of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance.
Roger S. Hong (September 23, 1941 - October 27, 2006) was the youngest son of Y. C. and
Mabel. He earned his Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Southern
California in 1965, followed by a Master of Science degree in City and Regional Planning in
1968. He was certified in many states, including California, to practice as a licensed
architect. Some of his notable architectural projects include the expansion of the
California Exposition and State Fair (Sacramento, CA), Thomas and Mack Center (Las Vegas,
NV), the United Bank headquarter (Los Angeles, CA), Kunlun Hotel (Beijing, China), Hotel
Nikko (Beverly Hills, CA), the Hong Residence (Los Angeles, CA), Chieh Shou Sports Park
(Taipei, Taiwan), Kaiser Richmond Medical Center (Richmond, CA), and various buildings and
facilities in and around the Los Angeles Chinatown area. After he co-founded the
architectural firm Arechaederra Hong Treiman Architects in the late 1970s, Roger retired
from architecture in early 1990s and devoted himself to preserving the Hong family history,
the restoration and preservation of Los Angeles Chinatown, and various charitable
causes.
Related Materials in the Huntington Library
- You Chung Hong legal papers, mssHong
- Hong family papers, mssHong Family papers
- Roger S. Hong Collection, archHong
- Law-related books of Y.C. Hong
This collection contains addenda to the collection of the papers and photographs of the
Hong family, a family of prominent Chinese-American community leaders in Los Angeles,
California, specifically focused on the papers and photographs of immigration lawyer You
Chung Hong (1898-1977), his wife, Mabel Hong (1907-1998) and their two sons, lawyer Nowland
C. Hong (born 1934) and architect Roger S. Hong (1941-2006).
The addenda includes 14 boxes of correspondence, manuscripts, and ephemera organized by
genre, subject, and/or original order. The contents include address books, biographies, card
indexes, correspondence, financial records, Hong residence construction documents,
manuscripts, periodicals, subject files, and transcripts of Y. C. Hong's 1928 congressional
testimony (Box 11, Folders 1-3).
There are 54 boxes of photographic items including color slides, photographic negatives,
and color slides of the Hong family. Boxes 12 to 21 are organized at folder-level, by genre,
and alphabetically. Boxes 22 to 65 are organized only to the box-level (with less detail
than folder-level) and contain mostly photographic materials created by Roger S. Hong from
1980s to 1990s.
In addition, there are also 8 boxes of oversize items such as calendars, certificates,
periodicals, photos, plans, and posters.
The collection is arranged in the following 3 series:
- Correspondence, Manuscripts, and Ephemera Series (Boxes 1-11; Box 72, 73, 74, 76)
- Photographic Series (Boxes 12-65)
- Oversize Series (Boxes 66-71; Box 75)
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Architecture -- United States -- 1980-2010
Chinese Americans -- Societies, etc.
Chinese Americans -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archives
Chinese American women.
Emigration and immigration law -- United States
Immigration advocates -- California
Lawyers -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archives
California -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
Chinatown (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Los Angeles (Calif.)
Comic books
Financial records
Letters (correspondence) -- United States
Personal papers -- United States -- 20th century
Photographs -- 20th century
Professional papers -- United States -- 20th century
Hong, Mabel, 1907-1998 -- Archives
Hong, Nowland C., 1934- -- Archives
Hong, Roger S., 1941-2006 -- Archives
Hong, You Chung, 1898-1977 -- Archives
Fung, Kenneth Y.
Rosenfield, Harry N.
Younger, Evelle J.
American Bureau for Medical Aid to China
Chinese American Citizens Alliance
Hong, You Chung, 1898-1977
Hong, Mabel, 1907-1998
Hong, Nowland C., 1934-
Hong, Roger S., 1941-2006