Mae Yih (born Chih Feng Dunn May 24, 1928) is a former member of both houses of the

legislature A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial power ...

of the U.S. state of

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. She is the first

Chinese American Chinese Americans are Americans of Chinese ancestry. Chinese Americans constitute a subgroup of East Asian Americans which also constitute a subgroup of Asian Americans. Many Chinese Americans have ancestors from mainland China, Hong Kong ...

to serve in a state senate in the United States.

Early life and education

Yih was born Chih Feng Dunn on May 24, 1928, in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

, China, to Chun Woo and Fung Wen Feng Dunn. Her family was quite well off, with her father owning two textile mills, a nightclub and hotel that is now the

Peace Hotel The Peace Hotel () is a hotel on The Bund in Shanghai, China, which overlooks the surrounding areas. The hotel has two different buildings. The Sassoon House, originally housed the Cathay Hotel and is today the Fairmont Peace Hotel run by Fairmo ...

, and an automobile dealership. She attended a girls' school, which relocated to a foreign concession during the

Japanese occupation of Shanghai The history of Shanghai spans over a thousand years and closely parallels the development of modern China. Originally a small agricultural village, Shanghai developed during the late Qing dynasty (1644–1912) as one of China's principal trad ...

, and finished her high school education in 1946. Following high school, Dunn began her college education at St. John's University in Shanghai.Albany Democrat Herald: Printable Version
/ref> In September 1948, Dunn transferred to

Barnard College Barnard College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college affiliated with Columbia University in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a grou ...

in New York City, graduating in 1951 with a bachelor's degree in economics. While at Barnard, the president of the college, Millicent McIntosh, encouraged the students to be involved in decision making. She later stated that this served as an inspiration to enter politics. Following the completion of her undergraduate studies, Dunn began work on a master's degree in accounting at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, which she did not complete.

Political career

In Albany, Yih volunteered at her children's school, eventually running for the local school board. She started service on the Clover Ridge Elementary School board in 1969, moving to the Albany Union High School board in 1975. In 1976, the local Democratic Party chairperson asked Yih to run for the Oregon State House. Yih won the election, defeating a Republican opponent who had 14 years of incumbency. Yih took office in 1977. She went on to serve three two-year terms in the House. In 1982, Yih decided to run for a seat in the

Oregon State Senate The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the State legislature (United States), statewide legislature for the US state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. Ther ...

. She won this election, and was re-elected in 1986, 1990, 1994, and 1998. Yih was elected Senate President

Pro Tempore ''Pro tempore'' (), abbreviated ''pro tem'' or ''p.t.'', is a Latin phrase which best translates to 'for the time being' in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a '' locum tenens'' ('placeholder'). The phrase is ...

for the 1993–1995 session. Yih decided not to seek re-election in 2002 and retired at the end of her term in January 2003. Known as a conservative Democrat, Yih's many accomplishments included passage of laws establishing Enterprise Zones to promote job creations; Office of Oregon Trade Representative in Shanghai to enhance trade between Oregon and China; child support legislation to expedite child support and reduce public assistance; equal property tax relief for Linn County residents by correcting a legislative drafting error permanently; appropriation for regional Adolescent Drug & Alcohol Treatment Center; school curriculum to encourage sexual abstinence to reduce teen pregnancy; lottery funds for the rehabilitation and preventive maintenance of covered bridges and a study for assessing the health of the

Willamette River The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward ...

. Yih was also known as a strong supporter of field burning because it is a more effective control of disease and insects than the use of chemicals.Albany Democrat Herald: Archived Articles
/ref> Yih introduced and passed legislation to establish sister state relationship with Fujian province, China in 1983. She accompanied Oregon governor Atiyeh to sign the agreement with Governor of Fujian province in 1984.Albany Democrat Herald Sept. 3, 1984 Yih organized legislative leadership trade delegation to visit Fujian province and other cities in China in 1992, 1997, 2000, and 2002. Yih was awarded Honorary Citizen of Fujian Province in 1994. Following her retirement in 2003, Yih received the Distinguished Service Award from the Albany Chamber of Commerce. This is the same award that her husband received in 1968. The Albany street Yih Lane, where her district office was, is named for her family.

Personal life

On June 7, 1953, Dunn married noted metallurgist Stephen Yih at the

Riverside Church Riverside Church is an interdenominational church in the Morningside Heights, Manhattan, Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The church is associated with the American Baptist Churches USA and the Un ...

in New York City. He worked for Wah Chang Corporation, which transferred him to

Albany, Oregon Albany ( ) is the county seat of Linn County, Oregon, and is the 11th most populous city in the state. Albany is located in the Willamette Valley at the confluence of the Calapooia River and the Willamette River in both Linn and Benton count ...

in 1956.Albany Democrat Herald: Archived Articles
/ref> Yih accompanied him on the move. Stephen Yih was the founder of Wah Chang Corporation in Albany and was president for 20 years. He died in March 2009. They had two sons—Donald, a physician, and Daniel, an attorney—and four grandchildren. Yih is a member of the Episcopal Church.

References

* https://web.archive.org/web/20020602073921/http://www.leg.state.or.us/yih/bio.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Yih, Mae 1928 births American Episcopalians Living people Barnard College alumni American politicians of Chinese descent American women of Chinese descent in politics Members of the Oregon House of Representatives Oregon state senators Politicians from Albany, Oregon Politicians from Shanghai Women state legislators in Oregon School board members in Oregon Asian-American state legislators in Oregon 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly 20th-century members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly