Cheryl Chow (May 24, 1946 – March 29, 2013) was an American educator and politician. She was a
Seattle City Council
The Seattle City Council is the legislative body of the city of Seattle, Washington. The Council consists of nine members serving four-year terms, seven of which are elected by electoral districts and two of which are elected in citywide at-larg ...
member from 1990 to 1997.
Early life and career
Chow was born in
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
,
Washington
Washington most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...
, on May 24, 1946.
[Cheryl Mayre Chow obituary](_blank)
''Seattle Times'' via legacy.com; accessed October 19, 2014. Chow's father was Edward Shui "Ping" Chow, a Cantonese opera singer who received U.S. Citizenship after he was discharged from the United States Army, and her mother was
Ruby Chow
Ruby Chow (June 6, 1920 – June 4, 2008; ) was a Chinese American restaurateur and politician in Seattle, Washington. In 1974, she became the first Asian American elected to the King County Council and served until her retirement in 1986.
Ea ...
, who served as a
King County Council
The Metropolitan King County Council, the legislative body of King County, Washington, consists of nine members elected by district. The Council adopts laws, sets policy, and holds final approval over the budget. Its current name and structure is ...
woman, the first
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans with ancestry from the continent of Asia (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of those immigrants).
Although this term had historically been used fo ...
elected to that council. Her parents also owned Ruby Chow's restaurant, where
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee (born Lee Jun-fan; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was an American-born Hong Kong martial artist, actor, filmmaker, and philosopher. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy which was formed from ...
once worked.
Chow's maternal grandparents were Chinese immigrants who had come to the United States to work on the railroad lines.
Chow graduated from
Franklin High School and then attended
Western Washington University
Western Washington University (WWU or Western) is a public university in Bellingham, Washington, United States. The northernmost university in the contiguous United States, WWU was founded in 1893 as the state-funded New Whatcom Normal School, s ...
.
After college, Chow worked as a physical education teacher at
Hamilton International Middle School
Seattle Public Schools is the largest public school district in the state of Washington. The school district serves almost all of Seattle. Additionally it includes sections of Boulevard Park and Tukwila. As of the 2021-2022 academic year, 10 ...
, a public school in the
Seattle School District
Seattle Public Schools is the largest public school district in the state of Washington. The school district serves almost all of Seattle. Additionally it includes sections of Boulevard Park and Tukwila. As of the 2021-2022 academic year, 10 ...
.
She then became Principal at Sharples Junior High School (now
Aki Kurose Middle School Academy).
Chow also coached girls' basketball for the city parks and recreation department and became an instructor for the Chinese Girls Drill Team Team, which was started by her mother.
In 1985, Chow ran for the King County Council for the seat her mother was retiring from, ultimately losing the election.
Before running for Seattle City Council, she worked at the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Seattle City Council
In 1989, Chow ran for Seattle City Council against longtime incumbent
Jeanette Williams.
In the November general election Chow narrowly defeated Williams, 50% to 49%.
She ran for reelection in 1993, winning in a landslide with 74% of the vote.
In her first term, Chow chaired the Parks and Public Grounds Committee, and in her second term, she chaired the Health, Housing, Human Services, Education and Libraries Committee.
During her time on council, she helped form the Families and Education Levy, which funded after school programs, and helped build five community centers in the city.
Chow stated her greatest achievements was getting the late night recreation centers and pulling together Asian gang leaders.
In 1996, Chow worked as interim principal at West Seattle’s Madison Middle School while on the council, which received some criticism from community members.
She decided not to run for reelection to her council seat in 1997 and instead ran for Seattle mayor.
In the September primary election, Chow failed to advance past the primary.
In 1999, Chow ran for Seattle City Council in Position 1 after council member Sue Donaldson decided not to run for office. In the August primary, Chow came in second and advanced to the general election with political newcomer,
Judy Nicastro coming in first.
Chow outraised Nicastro by over $12,000 due to her support from landlords and business leaders.
Chow and her supporters labeled Nicastro as a "radical leftist," and Nicastro and her supporters labeled Chow "mediocre."
Chow would narrowly lose the November General Election to Nicastro, 49.51% to 50.49%.
Post-council
After leaving the city council, Chow became an interim Principal at her ''alma mater,'' Franklin High School, and then at
Garfield High School.
In 2005, Chow was elected to the Seattle School Board.
Chow served on the School Board until 2009 and served as Board President during her tenure.
Personal life
Chow came out as a lesbian in August 2012.
On March 16, 2013, less than two weeks before her death, Chow married her partner of ten years, Sarah Morningstar.
Together, they have a daughter, Liliana Morningstar-Chow.
Cheryl Chow died on March 29, 2013 of
central nervous system lymphoma at age 66, in Seattle.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chow, Cheryl
1946 births
2013 deaths
Seattle City Council members
School board members in Washington (state)
Women in Washington (state) politics
American LGBTQ city council members
LGBTQ people from Washington (state)
American LGBTQ people of Asian descent
American lesbian politicians
American politicians of Chinese descent
Asian-American people in Washington (state) politics
Deaths from lymphoma in the United States
Deaths from cancer in Washington (state)
Schoolteachers from Washington (state)
American women educators
Western Washington University alumni
American women of Chinese descent in politics
Women city councillors in Washington (state)
City council members of Asian descent
Franklin High School (Seattle) alumni
21st-century American LGBTQ people
American women of Asian descent in politics
20th-century American women politicians
20th-century American politicians of Asian descent
21st-century American women politicians
21st-century American politicians of Asian descent