Dr. Martha Jee Wong, born Martha Jee, (born January 20, 1939)Distinguished HISD Alumni
." ''

Houston Independent School District The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the largest Public school (government funded), public school system in Texas, and the eighth-largest in the United States. Houston ISD serves as a community school district for most of the ci ...

''. is a Texas politician who was 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 ...

woman to be elected to the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. There are no Term limits in the United States, term limits. The ...

, representing Houston's District 134. She served from 2002 to 2006 as a Republican. Moreover, she was the first Asian American woman part of Texas Spirits, an honorary spirit, service, and social organization on the campus of University of Texas at Austin. Texas Spirits is the oldest spirit organization at the University of Texas, founded in 1941.

History

Wong was born at St. Joseph Hospital in January 1939. Wong lived in the

Houston Heights Houston Heights (often referred to simply as "The Heights") is a community in northwest-central Houston, Texas, United States. "The Heights" is often referred to colloquially to describe a larger collection of neighborhoods next to and includin ...

, initially within her parents' grocery business and later. She attended Hogg Junior High School, and then Reagan High School (now

Heights High School Heights High School, formerly John H. Reagan High School, is a senior high school located in the Houston Heights in Houston, Texas. It serves students in grades nine through twelve and is a part of the Houston Independent School District. Hei ...

) in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. In 1993, she became the

Houston City Council The Houston City Council is a city council for the city of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas. The Council has sixteen members: eleven from council districts and five elected at-large. The members of the Council are elected every four years, wi ...

's first elected Asian American Councilwoman, and was elected to three successive terms. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas and both a master's degree and doctorate from the University of Houston.

Controversy

In 2020, Wong was appointed by Governor

Greg Abbott Gregory Wayne Abbott ( ; born November 13, 1957) is an American politician, attorney, and jurist who has served since 2015 as the 48th governor of Texas. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served from 2002 to ...

as the Chairwoman of the

Texas State Library and Archives Commission The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) refers to the state government agency in the state of Texas that supports the reading, learning, and historical preservation needs of Texas and its people. The agency is charged with preserv ...

. In 2023, she made the decision as Chair for the State of Texas to leave its membership with the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

after political pressure from Republican lawmaker Brian Harrison following the election of

Emily Drabinski Emily Drabinski (born June 16, 1975) is an American academic, librarian, author, and teacher who served as List of presidents of the American Library Association, president of the American Library Association from July 2023 to July 2024. Early li ...

as the President of the American Library Association.

References

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...

''. Saturday January 11, 1997. A30. , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Wong, Martha Living people American politicians of Chinese descent American women of Chinese descent in politics Republican Party members of the Texas House of Representatives Houston City Council members Women city councillors in Texas 21st-century American women politicians City council members of Asian descent Asian-American state legislators in Texas Women state legislators in Texas 1939 births Asian conservatism in the United States 21st-century members of the Texas Legislature

History

Controversy

See also

References

External links