Ruby Chow (June 6, 1920 – June 4, 2008; ) was a Chinese American restaurateur and politician in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

Early life

On June 6, 1920 Chow was born on a fishing dock in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

, Washington. Her given name was Mar Seung-gum. Chow's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Mar, were Chinese immigrants. Chow was a teenager during the depths of the Great Depression, which caused her to drop out of high school and start waiting tables for two dollars a day.

Career

She and her second husband opened Ruby Chow's restaurant in 1948 at 1122 Jefferson Street (at the corner of Broadway & Jefferson) in Seattle's First Hill neighborhood. It was the first Chinese restaurant outside of Seattle's Chinatown. She rented the

attic An attic (sometimes referred to as a ''loft'') is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building; an attic may also be called a ''sky parlor'' or a garret. Because attics fill the space between the ceiling of the ...

of the restaurant to

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines th ...

. Chow leveraged her resources as a restaurant owner and community organizer to help get Wing Luke elected to the

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-l ...

in 1962 by having all the Chinese restaurants print "It's wise to vote for Wing Luke" as their fortune cookie fortunes. Her political career started in 1973 when she decided to run for

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 i ...

as a Democrat. She had an encounter with

Ted Bundy Theodore Robert Bundy (Name change, born Cowell; November 24, 1946 – January 24, 1989) was an American serial killer who kidnapped, raped and murdered numerous young women and girls during the 1970s and possibly earlier. After more th ...

(later known to be a serial killer) who, as a GOP campaign worker, tried to convince Chow, unsuccessfully, to go Republican. Chow stayed with the Democratic Party and served three terms as a

King County King County is located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population was 2,269,675 in the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Washington, and the 13th-most populous in the United States. The county seat is Seattle, also the st ...

councilwoman in Washington. She was the first

Asian American Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous peopl ...

elected to King County Council. The county council named Ruby Chow Park, at the corner of S. Albro Place and 13th Avenue S. near

Boeing Field Boeing Field, officially King County International Airport , is a public airport owned and operated by King County, five miles south of downtown Seattle, Washington. The airport is sometimes referred to as KCIA (King County International Airp ...

, after Chow in 1985.Council expresses condolences on the passing of former King County Councilmember Ruby Chow
kingcounty.gov; accessed October 19, 2014.

Personal life

Chow's first marriage produced two sons. Chow's second husband was Edward Shui "Ping" Chow (November 5, 1916 - June 29, 2011), who received U.S. Citizenship after he was discharged from United States Army. Chow had five children. Chow's children are Edward Chow Jr, Shelton Chow,

Cheryl Chow Cheryl Chow (May 24, 1946 – March 29, 2013) was an American educator and politician. Early life Chow was born in Seattle, Washington on May 24, 1946. Chow's father was Edward Shui "Ping" Chow (November 5, 1916 - June 29, 2011), who received ...

, Brien Chow, and Mark Chow. Chow's daughter,

, served as a member of the

from 1990 to 1997. Chow's son, Mark Chow, is a judge in King County District Court in Washington. He is the first Asian-American in the State of Washington to win election as a judge. Chow's niece,

Angie Mar Angie Mar (born 1982) is an American chef and restaurateur. She owns and operates Les Trois Chevaux in New York City. Career Mar was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. Before becoming a chef, she was based in Los Angeles as a real estate ...

, is the chef/owner of The Beatrice Inn in Manhattan's West Village.

Death

Chow died in 2008, two days before her 88th birthday, from heart failure in

, Washington. Chow was survived by her five children and her husband, Edward Shui "Ping" Chow.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chow, Ruby 1920 births 2008 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American businesswomen 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American women American politicians of Chinese descent American restaurateurs American women of Chinese descent in politics Asian-American people in Washington (state) politics Businesspeople from Seattle King County Councillors Politicians from Seattle Washington (state) Democrats Women in Washington (state) politics Women restaurateurs