Conditions Governing Access
Conditions Governing Use
Preferred Citation
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Biographical / Historical
Scope and Contents
Processing Information
Arrangement
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Chow family collection
Creator:
Chow family
Identifier/Call Number: mssChowfamily
Physical Description:
83.85 Linear Feet
(157 boxes and 2 oversize folders)
Date (inclusive): 1893-2009
Abstract: This collection contains the
professional and personal material of the Chow family from San Francisco,
California.
Language of Material: The records are in English and
Chinese.
Conditions Governing Access
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
the Huntington Library for more information.
Conditions Governing Use
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.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item]. Chow family papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino,
California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Edward A. Chow and Sylvia Eng, July 2013.
Biographical / Historical
William Jack Chow was born on July 3, 1909 in Fresno, California. Chow received his B.S.
from Saint Mary's College and J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of
the Law in 1935. As one of the country's first Chinese American lawyer, he represented
Chinese immigrants battling against federal immigration authorities. In 1949, Chow and Jack
Wong Sing formed the law office of Chow and Sing in collaboration with Chow's politically
well-connected older brother, Albert Chow. He was the first Chinese American deputy district
attorney for San Francisco, the first president of the San Francisco Civil Service
Commission, and chairman of the San Francisco Housing Authority. He also served on the San
Francisco Parking Authority. Throughout his life, he was actively involved with numerous
organizations, including: Six Companies, Bay Area Asian American Bar Association, the
Chinatown Optimist Club, the Chinese Cemetery Association, the National Gee Tuck Benevolent
Association, the Chinese Sportsman Club, Chinese Chamber of Commerce, and International
Institute and Chinese Cultural Foundation. In addition to his community and political
activities, Chow was president and Director of the Four Seas Restaurant and Director of Wing
Sing Chong Company, Importers of Food Products.
Anne Kwok Chow was born on March, 12, 1912 in San Francisco, California. Chow graduated
from the University of California, Berkeley. Before settling down with her husband and
starting a family, Chow ran her own beauty shop. She married William Jack Chow in December
1936. Similar to her husband, Chow was also an active member of the community. She was the
founder and three times president of the Chinatown Opti-Mrs. Club, served on the Board of
Management and Board of Directors of the YWCA, and volunteered with the Telegraph Hill
Neighborhood Center. She was also a founder of the Chinese Hospital Auxiliary.
William Jack and Anne K. Chow had three children: Edward, Sylvia, and the late Jeffrey
Jason Chow. Chow passed away on April 18, 1988 and his wife, Anne, passed away on March 17,
2009.
Scope and Contents
Series 1: Business and legal files. The first series consists of business and legal files
of William Jack Chow. The files are arranged in alphabetical order by subject. These files
concern both Chow's career as a lawyer and a businessman. The folders may contain a
combination of business records, case files, correspondence, financial records, legal
documents, memoranda, and securities. Chow also frequently traveled to Hong Kong for work.
Those files are also found in this series and they span from the 1950s through 1970s. A
subject of interest includes the Supreme Court of the United States landmark decision to
uphold affirmative action in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke. At the end of
this series are Chow's books primarily related to business and law. Note: Chow's appointment
books and business cards are found in Series 2.
Series 2: Community and political files. The second series consists of community and
political files. This series is arranged by genre and includes: address books and cards,
appointment books, awards, business cards, bylaws, membership cards, plaques, political
files, and subject files. As a strong advocate of the conservative wing of the Democratic
Party, there are numerous material related to the Democratic National Convention in 1944,
1956, 1960, 1964, and 1972. The other political files relate to politicians and include
campaign mailers, presidential inaugurations, and programs. The subject files mostly relate
to the Chow's community activities. These files primarily consist of printed ephemera
related to that specific event or organization; however, there are some considerable items
related to Anne Chow's work with the Chinatown Opti-Mrs. Club, Telegraph Hill Neighborhood
Center, and YWCA.
Series 3: Personal files. The third series consists of personal material related to the
Chow family. This series is arranged by genre and includes: bankbooks, currency, death
certificates (copies), greeting cards, guestbooks, invitations, postcards, stamps, subject
files, textbooks, travel ephemera, and yearbooks. The bulk of the greeting cards are from
family and friends congratulating Jack and Anne Chow on their 25th and 50th wedding
anniversary. There is also an abundance of travel ephemera, primarily postcards, from all
over the world. The postcards that are blank are noted, while the postcards used by the Chow
family are organized chronologically. The subject files primarily relate to Chow's education
at Saint Mary's College and University of California, Hastings College of the Law and his
continued involvement as an alumni. The textbooks are in Chinese and appear to be around or
before the 1950s.
Series 4: General files. The final series is the General files. This is a catch-all series
that consists of books, correspondence, ephemera, and photographs that may be related to the
previous three series. The correspondence is arranged chronologically. The early letters
from Anne to Jack written in the 1930s reveal obstacles with their relationship. Anne
painfully writes, "My mother has forbidden me to go out with you because she's afraid that
you would love me. And she emphasized very strongly that no matter what will happen, we can
never have each other" (1932, June). In the 1950s, there are numerous letters from Jack
updating family on his travels. There are also several letters from government officials,
including Diane Feinstein in the 1970s. The photographs are roughly divided into four
subjects: events, family, trips, and miscellaneous. The events include campaigns,
ceremonies, funerals, reunions, parties, and weddings. The family photographs include
birthdays, celebrations, gatherings, graduations, and portraits. The Chow family traveled
frequently and their trips included Asia, Europe, South America, and the Caribbean. Family
portraits from various cruise lines are also part this section. Note: If there were
negatives that accompanied the photographs, they were kept with together. The miscellaneous
photographs include pictures of Chow's office, furniture, immigration and/or passport
headshots, portraits from politicians and entertainers. The other ephemera found in this
section includes clippings, invitations, menus, newspapers, periodicals, and programs.
Series 5: Oversize. The series consists of oversize material. Box 149 contains awards,
certificates, and scrolls. Box 150 consists of photographs, some are enlarged versions found
in the previous series. Box 151 contains a scrapbook related to Jack Chow's activities in
the 1960s. Boxes 152-153 include newspapers from 1957-1961. There is a painting of the late
Jeffrey Jason Chow in Box 154. The two folders consist of additional oversize awards,
certificates, and photographs. Most of the material found in this series were removed from
frames.
Series 6. Additional material. The series contains passports, handbooks, booklets, and
miscellaenous ephemera.
Processing Information
Processed by Gina C Giang in 2016. In August 2023, Mari Khasmanyan added box 157 and
updated the finding aid.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in the following order: Series 1: Business and Legal files
(Boxes 1-32), Series 2: Community and political files (Boxes 33-56), Series 3: Personal
files (Boxes 57-81), Series 4: General files (Boxes 82-148), Series 5: Oversize (Boxes
149-154), Series 6: Additional material (Box 155-157).
Boxes 155 and 156 were added in February 2017 after mold remediation.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Businessmen -- California -- San Francisco
Chinese American families -- California -- San Francisco
Chinese Americans -- California -- San Francisco
Chinese Americans -- Societies, etc.
Emigration and immigration law -- United States
Immigration advocates -- California
Lawyers -- California -- San Francisco
San Francisco (Calif.)
Business records
Financial records
Greeting cards
Photographs
Postcards
Printed ephemera
Professional papers
Chow family
Chow, Anne Kwok, 1912-2009 -- Archives
Chow, Edward Anson
Chow, William Jack, 1909-1988 -- Archives
Eng, Sylvia