Guide to the Tony Lam papers MS.SEA.058
Samantha Noelle Hilton
Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine
Libraries
(cc) 2016
The UCI Libraries
P.O. Box 19557
University of California, Irvine
Irvine 92623-9557
spcoll@uci.edu
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine
Libraries
Title: Tony Lam papers
Creator:
Lam, Tony C. M.
Identifier/Call Number: MS.SEA.058
Physical Description:
2 Linear Feet
(2 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1965-2008
Language of Material: English and
Vietnamese.
Abstract: This collection is
comprised of the personal and political papers of Tony Lam, a refugee from Southern Vietnam
who influenced Orange County, California for several decades. The collection documents Lam’s
life at Camp Asan refugee camp, his campaigns for Westminster City Council, and his
influence on Orange County’s Vietnamese American community. Materials include pamphlets,
stickers, and other campaign objects, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and photographs.
Physical Description: Materials relating
to Camp Asan are brittle and discolored. Newspaper clippings are brittle throughout box
2.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Property rights reside with the University of California. It is the responsibility of the
researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her
heir for permission to publish where the UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Preferred Citation
Tony Lam Papers. MS-SEA-058. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries,
Irvine, California. Date accessed.
For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information
about sources consulted in this collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder
descriptions, and box/folder locations
Processing Information
Processed by Samantha Noelle Hilton in 2016.
Biographical / Historical
Tony Lam was the first Vietnamese American to be elected to public office in the United
States. In addition to serving as a politician, Lam was a refugee from Vietnam and an
activist who assisted Vietnamese refugees with their settlement in the United States and
helped create an inclusive community for the Vietnamese American community in Orange County,
California.
Before the 1975 fall of Saigon, Tony Lam worked for the U.S. government in Vietnam as both
the assistant director of counterinsurgency at Vietnam’s embassy to the U.S. and as the U.S.
government contractor in Vietnam. Because of his ties to the United States, Lam became a
political target when Communism began to take over Vietnam; Lam, his wife, and six children
fled in 1975. The family lived for a few months in Guam at refugee camp Asan. Lam utilized
his leadership skills by serving as the director of Asan where he oversaw the activities of
60,000 refugees. From Asan, Lam was relocated to Camp Pendleton in San Diego, California
where he assisted over 120,000 refugees transition to life in the United States.
The Lam family settled in the City of Westminster in California. Tony and his brother
established an insurance agency and an immigration consulting firm that assisted fellow
Vietnam refugees by connecting them with local language classes, ensuring that their homes
and businesses were following legal codes, and helping to enroll their children in schools.
Additionally, Lam was a leading force behind the establishment of Westminster’s Little
Saigon district and he further fostered a sense of community by organizing the country’s
first Tet festival in Westminster in 1980.
In 1992, Tony Lam ran for a seat on Westminster City Council; he wanted to make sure the
populous Vietnamese American community was represented in local politics. His campaign was
successful with the backing of the police and housing community and he became the first
Vietnamese American elected to public office. Lam’s early political career was successful
and he was well-received. That changed in 1999 with the Hi-Tek protests. Lam was accused of
being a communist sympathizer and the Vietnamese American community was harshly divided over
the unrest. In 2002, after serving 10 years on City Council, Lam chose not to run for
re-election. Despite the tumultuous end to his career, Lam was recognized in 2005 for his
many contributions to Orange County.
Content Description
This collection is comprised of the personal and political papers of Tony Lam, a refugee
from Southern Vietnam who influenced Orange County, California for several decades. The
collection documents Lam’s life at Camp Asan refugee camp, his campaigns for Westminster
City Council, and his influence on Orange County’s Vietnamese American community. Materials
include pamphlets, stickers, and other campaign objects, correspondence, newspaper
clippings, and photographs.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into four series: Political papers, Personal papers, Clippings,
and Visual media
Repository Processing Note
DACS minimum finding aid requirements met.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Orange County (Calif.) -- Politics and government -- 20th century --
Sources
Lam, Tony C. M.
Series 1: Political papers
bulk
Physical Description: 0.4 linear
feet
Arrangement
Documents in this series are arranged chronologically by event.
Scope and Contents
The documents that comprise this series relate to Tony Lam's political career.
Materials include campaign materials, correspondence, information about various projects
for the city of Westminster, and a copy of Lam's speech about his own political
journey.
box 1, folder 1
General: correspondence, articles, and photos 1:1
bulk
box 1, folder 2
Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce in O.C. (1 of 3) 1:2
1987
box 1, folder 3
Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce in O.C. (2 of 3) 1:3
1987
box 1, folder 4
Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce in O.C. (3 of 3) 1:4
1987
box 1, folder 5
Campaign materials 1:5
bulk
box 1, folder 6
Campaign materials 1:6
bulk
box 1, folder 7
Asian Pacific American Law Journal Symposium 1:7
2001-03-09
box 1, folder 8
UCLA Asian Pacific American Law Journal, Volume 8, Number 1 1:8
2002
box 1, folder 9
City Council Farewell Party 1:9
2002-11-15
box 1, folder 10
City of Westminster miscellaneous documents 1:10
bulk
Series 2: Personal papers
bulk
Arrangement
Series is organized chronologically by event and type of material.
Scope and Contents
The materials that comprise this collection detail parts of Lam's life from his time at
Camp Asan in Guam to his successes in Orange County. The series includes correspondence,
biographical information, and information about various awards won by Lam.
box 1, folder 11
General: correspondence and operations statements of Lam's early life in the
U.S.
1:11
bulk
Language of Material: Some
documents in this folder are written in Vietnamese.
box 1, folder 12
Camp Asan: correspondence, awards, and plans 1:12
bulk
box 1, folder 13
Biographical information: resumes and timelines 1:13
bulk
box 1, folder 14
Transcript of Lam's appeal in Gilbrook v. City of Westminster
trial
1:14
1994
box 1, folder 15
Miscellaneous correspondence 1:15
bulk
box 1, folder 16
Vietnamese American National Gala 1:16
2005-05-02
box 1, folder 17
O.C. Register: 100 People Who Shaped Orange County 1:17
2005
Series 3: Clippings
Language of Material: Materials
in this series are in English and Vietnamese.
Physical Description: 1 linear
foot
Scope and Contents
This series is comprised of news clippings about Tony Lam's life and politics as well
as articles about Vietnamese politics surrounding the Indochinese wars.
box 1, folder 18
Articles about Tony Lam (1 of 6) 1:18
bulk
box 1, folder 19
Articles about Tony Lam (2 of 6) 1:19
bulk
box 1, folder 2
Orange Coast magazine draft and final 1:20
1998-06
General
Orange Coast issue contains an article called "Sign of the Lam"
box 1, folder 21
Articles about Tony Lam (3 of 6) 1:21
1999
box 1, folder 22
Articles about Tony Lam (4 of 6) 1:22
bulk
box 1, folder 23
Articles about Tony Lam (5 of 6) 1:23
bulk
box 1, folder 24
Doanh nhan, Mr. Tony Lam 1:24
2006-12
General
Tony Lam article can be found on pages 32-36.
box 1, folder 25
Articles about Tony Lam (6 of 6), undated, partial, and
miscellaneous
1:25
bulk
box 1, folder 26
Articles about Asan refugee camp 1:26
1975
box 1, folder 27
Articles about Westminster and Little Saigon 1:27
bulk
box 1, folder 28
Articles about Vietnam 1:28
bulk
box 1, folder 29
O.C. Register: 100 People Who Shaped Orange County 1:29
2005
box 2, folder 1
Westminster clippings 2:1
1988
box 2, folder 2
Articles about Vien Dong restaurant 2:2
bulk
box 2, folder 3
Articles about/by Lam's family 2:3
bulk
box 2, folder 4
Articles about Vietnamese refugees 2:4
bulk
box 2, folder 5
Orange Coast magazine 2:5
1990-03
General
Article about Lam's restaurant Vien Dong pages 113-119.
Series 4: Visual materials
bulk
box 2, folder 6
Photos: Cam Ranh, Vietnam; Camp Asan, Guam; Florida; and Camp
Pendleton
2:6
1975
box 2, folder 7
Photos: tennis tournament at Santa Ana High School 2:7
1982
box 2, folder 8
Photos: campaign headquarters 2:8
1990
box 2, folder 10
Photos of Tony Lam being sworn in 2:10
1992
General
Lam's swearing in ceremony took place at the Huntington Beach Hilton Waterfront
Hotel.
box 2, folder 11
Photos of re-election campaign fundraiser 2:11
1994
General
Re-election fundrasing dinner took place at Grand Garden restaurant in
Westminster.
box 2, folder 12
Re-election open house 2:12
1998-10-16
box 2, folder 13
Photos of Tony Lam with students at La Quinta High School 2:13
1990
box 2, folder 14
Various Tony Lam photos 2:14
bulk
