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{{Short description|American judge}} |
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{{unreferenced|date=May 2009}} |
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{{more citations needed|date=January 2021}} |
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{{Infobox |
{{Infobox officeholder |
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|name = Delbert Earl Wong |
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|imagesize = |
|imagesize = |
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|caption = |
|caption = Wong in 1959 |
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|office = [[Superior Court |
|office = [[Los Angeles County Superior Court]] Judge |
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|birth_date = {{birth date|1920|05|17}} |
|birth_date = {{birth date|1920|05|17}} |
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|birth_place = [[Hanford, California]] |
|birth_place = [[Hanford, California]] |
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|alma_mater = [[University of California|Berkeley]] |
|alma_mater = [[University of California|Berkeley]] |
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}} |
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'''Delbert Wong''' ({{zh|黃錦紹}}, May 17, 1920 – March 10, 2006) was the first |
'''Delbert Wong''' ({{zh|黃錦紹}}, May 17, 1920 – March 10, 2006) was the first judge in the continental United States of Chinese descent. |
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==Early life== |
==Early life and education== |
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Delbert Wong was born in [[Hanford, California]] on May 17, 1920, and raised a short distance away in Bakersfield. After obtaining an Associate of Arts degree from [[Bakersfield College]], he transferred to the [[University of California, Berkeley]]. |
Delbert Wong was born in [[Hanford, California]] on May 17, 1920, and raised a short distance away in Bakersfield. After obtaining an Associate of Arts degree from [[Bakersfield College]], he transferred to the [[University of California, Berkeley]], where he would earn a B.S. in business in 1942.<ref name=Heroes/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89491/1942-05-25-whitaker-william/ |title=U.C. Diplomas Given to 64 From Kern |date=May 25, 1942 |newspaper=Bakersfield Californian |access-date=17 June 2021}}</ref> While attending UC Berkeley, he was a brother of [[Pi Alpha Phi]], an Asian-American Interest fraternity. Wong met his wife, Dolores (née Wing), at Berkeley; she graduated from there in 1943 and earned a master's degree from [[Smith College]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/156810982/ |title=From China to California, a Six-Generation Saga |author=Kang, Connie |date=June 29, 1997 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=17 June 2021}}</ref> |
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After he graduated from Berkeley, Wong joined the [[United States Army Air Forces]] during [[World War II]], and became one of eighteen [[B-17 Flying Fortress]] navigators that graduated in his class at [[Mather Field]] in Sacramento. During his service with the military, he was one of only three navigators who completed their thirty bombing missions. For his bravery and dedication, [[First Lieutenant#United States|First Lieutenant]] Delbert Wong was awarded the [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]], as well as four [[Air Medal]]s.<ref name=Heroes/> |
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In |
In1948, Wong became the first Chinese American graduate of [[Stanford Law School]].<ref name=Heroes/> After his graduation, Delbert continued to break new ground. He was the first Asian American to be appointed Deputy Legislative Counsel serving the [[California State Legislature]], and the first Asian American to be appointed a Deputy State Attorney General in 1952.<ref name=Heroes/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/3440813/ |title=Delbert Wong Named Deputy Attorney General by Brown |date=September 20, 1952 |newspaper=Bakersfield Californian |access-date=17 June 2021}}</ref> |
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==Career== |
==Career== |
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During his tenure as a Deputy State Attorney General, Delbert was appointed by then-Governor [[Pat Brown]] to the Municipal Court of the Los Angeles Judicial District in 1959, making him the first Chinese American named to the bench in the continental United States. Two years later, Judge Wong was elevated to the [[Superior Court]], where he served for over 20 years. Despite his busy schedule as a Municipal Court Judge, Wong served as Cubmaster of [[Cub Scouting (Boy Scouts of America)|Cub Scout]] Pack 527 of the Hollywood Wilshire Council of the [[Boy Scouts of America]]. One of his Cub Scouts was [[Lance Ito]], later to become trial judge in the infamous [[O. J. Simpson murder case]]. Ito appointed then |
During his tenure as a Deputy State Attorney General, Delbert was appointed by then-Governor [[Pat Brown]] to the Municipal Court of the Los Angeles Judicial District in 1959, making him the first Chinese American named to the bench in the continental United States.<ref name=Heroes/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/18022740/ |title=First Chinese-American Judge |date=January 24, 1959 |newspaper=Long Beach Independent |access-date=17 June 2021}}</ref> Two years later, Judge Wong was elevated to the [[Los Angeles County Superior Court]], where he served for over 20 years.<ref name=Heroes/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21254135/the-los-angeles-times27oct1961/ |title=3 Appointed to Superior Judgeships |date=October 27, 1961 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=17 June 2021}}</ref> Despite his busy schedule as a Municipal Court Judge, Wong served as Cubmaster of [[Cub Scouting (Boy Scouts of America)|Cub Scout]] Pack 527 of the Hollywood Wilshire Council of the [[Boy Scouts of America]]. One of his Cub Scouts was [[Lance Ito]], later to become trial judge in the infamous [[O. J. Simpson murder case]]. Ito appointed then-retired Judge Wong to serve as a special master to retrieve a [[switchblade]] knife from the Simpson residence that had been missed by police detectives.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/473943486/ |title=Blood-spattered dog led two witnesses to Nicole's body |author=Morrison, Pat |date=July 2, 1994 |newspaper=Edmonton Journal |access-date=17 June 2021}}</ref> |
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Wong researched and reported on racial issues within the Los Angeles Airport Police Bureau at the request of the Los Angeles Department of Airports; was appointed by then-Mayor of Los Angeles [[Tom Bradley (American politician)|Tom Bradley]] to serve on a panel tasked with drafting an ethics policy for the [[Los Angeles|City of Los Angeles]]; and was appointed Chair of the Asian Pacific American Focus Program of the [[National Conference for Community and Justice|National Conference of Christians and Jews]] to combat the rise in violence against Asian Americans. |
Even after he retired from the bench in 1982, he continued to be involved in his community. Wong researched and reported on racial issues within the Los Angeles Airport Police Bureau at the request of the Los Angeles Department of Airports; was appointed by then-Mayor of Los Angeles [[Tom Bradley (American politician)|Tom Bradley]] to serve on a panel tasked with drafting an ethics policy for the [[Los Angeles|City of Los Angeles]]; and was appointed Chair of the Asian Pacific American Focus Program of the [[National Conference for Community and Justice|National Conference of Christians and Jews]] to combat the rise in violence against Asian Americans.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2006-05-24/pdf/CREC-2006-05-24-pt1-PgE955-2.pdf |title=In honor of Judge Delbert Earl Wong May 17, 1920–March 10, 2006 |author=Becerra, Xavier |author-link=Xavier Becerra |date=May 24, 2006 |website=Congressional Record — Extensions of Remarks |publisher=United States House of Representatives}}</ref> |
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Together with his wife, Dolores, Judge Wong was also an ardent supporter of the Chinese American community, making significant contributions to the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, the Chinatown Service Center and the Asian Pacific American Friends of the Center Theater Group. |
Together with his wife, Dolores, Judge Wong was also an ardent supporter of the Chinese American community, making significant contributions to the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, the Chinatown Service Center and the Asian Pacific American Friends of the Center Theater Group. |
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== Personal life and legacy == |
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Judge Wong died on March 10, 2006, at the age of 85. His wife Dolores died in her sleep November 23, 2014, at age 93. |
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In 1954, Wong became the first minority resident of the [[Silver Lake, Los Angeles|Silver Lake]] neighborhood of Los Angeles, California; the real estate agent refused to work with the Wongs until he was threatened with termination by the property owner.<ref name=Heroes>{{cite web |url=http://www.chineseamericanheroes.org/heroes/2012/Delbert%20Wong.pdf |title=Heroes: Delbert Wong |date=2012 |website=Chinese American Heroes |access-date=17 June 2021}}</ref> Wong's home was designed by architect [[Gilbert Leong]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thesilverlakenews.com/judge-delbert-wong-residence/ |title=Judge Delbert Wong Residence, Gilbert Leong 1954 |publisher=thesilverlakenews.com |date=July 28, 2019 |accessdate=July 26, 2019 |archive-date=July 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190727014912/http://thesilverlakenews.com/judge-delbert-wong-residence/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> |
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On March 10, 2006, Wong died. He was 85 years old.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-mar-12-me-wong12-story.html |title=Delbert Wong, 85; First Chinese-American Judge in the Continental U.S. |author=Thurber, Jon |date=March 12, 2006 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=17 June 2021 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> On November 23, 2014, Wong's wife Dolores died in her sleep. She was 93 years old.<ref name=Motion21>{{cite web |url=https://lacity.primegov.com/meeting/attachment/386335.pdf?name=Motion%20(Cedillo%20-%20de%20Leon)%20dated%206-09-21.pdf |title=Motion |author1=Cedillo, Gilbert A. |author2=De Leon, Kevin |date=June 9, 2021 |publisher=Los Angeles City Council |access-date=17 June 2021}}</ref> A square in [[Chinatown, Los Angeles|Los Angeles Chinatown]] was dedicated to Judge Wong in 2013; it is at the intersection of Ord and North Hill, and is the first time the City of Los Angeles recognized a Chinese-American with an official landmark.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://law.stanford.edu/stanford-lawyer/articles/landmark-dedicated-to-judge-delbert-e-wong-llb-48-in-los-angeles-chinatown/ |title=Landmark Dedicated to Judge Delbert E. Wong, LLB '48, in Los Angeles Chinatown |date=Spring 2014 |issue=90 |work=Stanford Lawyer |publisher=Stanford Law School |access-date=17 June 2021}}</ref> A similar motion to dedicate a public square for his wife Dolores was advanced in June 2021.<ref name=Motion21/> |
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== See also == |
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* [[List of Asian American jurists]] |
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== References == |
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{{reflist}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wong, Delbert}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wong, Delbert}} |
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[[Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)]] |
[[Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)]] |
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[[Category:Recipients of the Air Medal]] |
[[Category:Recipients of the Air Medal]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II]] |
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[[Category:1920 births]] |
[[Category:1920 births]] |
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[[Category:2006 deaths]] |
[[Category:2006 deaths]] |
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[[Category:University of California, Berkeley alumni]] |
[[Category:University of California, Berkeley alumni]] |
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[[Category:Bakersfield College alumni]] |
[[Category:Bakersfield College alumni]] |
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[[Category:American people of Chinese descent]] |
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[[Category:Superior court judges in the United States]] |
[[Category:Superior court judges in the United States]] |
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Delbert Earl Wong
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|---|---|
Wong in 1959
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| Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1920-05-17)May 17, 1920 Hanford, California |
| Died | March 10, 2006(2006-03-10) (aged 85) |
| Spouse | Dolores Wong |
| Alma mater | Berkeley |
| |
Delbert Wong (Chinese: 黃錦紹, May 17, 1920 – March 10, 2006) was the first judge in the continental United States of Chinese descent.
Delbert Wong was born in Hanford, California on May 17, 1920, and raised a short distance away in Bakersfield. After obtaining an Associate of Arts degree from Bakersfield College, he transferred to the University of California, Berkeley, where he would earn a B.S. in business in 1942.[1][2] While attending UC Berkeley, he was a brother of Pi Alpha Phi, an Asian-American Interest fraternity. Wong met his wife, Dolores (née Wing), at Berkeley; she graduated from there in 1943 and earned a master's degree from Smith College.[3]
After he graduated from Berkeley, Wong joined the United States Army Air Forces during World War II, and became one of eighteen B-17 Flying Fortress navigators that graduated in his class at Mather Field in Sacramento. During his service with the military, he was one of only three navigators who completed their thirty bombing missions. For his bravery and dedication, First Lieutenant Delbert Wong was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, as well as four Air Medals.[1]
In 1948, Wong became the first Chinese American graduate of Stanford Law School.[1] After his graduation, Delbert continued to break new ground. He was the first Asian American to be appointed Deputy Legislative Counsel serving the California State Legislature, and the first Asian American to be appointed a Deputy State Attorney General in 1952.[1][4]
During his tenure as a Deputy State Attorney General, Delbert was appointed by then-Governor Pat Brown to the Municipal Court of the Los Angeles Judicial District in 1959, making him the first Chinese American named to the bench in the continental United States.[1][5] Two years later, Judge Wong was elevated to the Los Angeles County Superior Court, where he served for over 20 years.[1][6] Despite his busy schedule as a Municipal Court Judge, Wong served as Cubmaster of Cub Scout Pack 527 of the Hollywood Wilshire Council of the Boy Scouts of America. One of his Cub Scouts was Lance Ito, later to become trial judge in the infamous O. J. Simpson murder case. Ito appointed then-retired Judge Wong to serve as a special master to retrieve a switchblade knife from the Simpson residence that had been missed by police detectives.[7]
Even after he retired from the bench in 1982, he continued to be involved in his community. Wong researched and reported on racial issues within the Los Angeles Airport Police Bureau at the request of the Los Angeles Department of Airports; was appointed by then-Mayor of Los Angeles Tom Bradley to serve on a panel tasked with drafting an ethics policy for the City of Los Angeles; and was appointed Chair of the Asian Pacific American Focus Program of the National Conference of Christians and Jews to combat the rise in violence against Asian Americans.[8]
Together with his wife, Dolores, Judge Wong was also an ardent supporter of the Chinese American community, making significant contributions to the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, the Chinatown Service Center and the Asian Pacific American Friends of the Center Theater Group.
In 1954, Wong became the first minority resident of the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California; the real estate agent refused to work with the Wongs until he was threatened with termination by the property owner.[1] Wong's home was designed by architect Gilbert Leong.[9]
On March 10, 2006, Wong died. He was 85 years old.[10] On November 23, 2014, Wong's wife Dolores died in her sleep. She was 93 years old.[11] A square in Los Angeles Chinatown was dedicated to Judge Wong in 2013; it is at the intersection of Ord and North Hill, and is the first time the City of Los Angeles recognized a Chinese-American with an official landmark.[12] A similar motion to dedicate a public square for his wife Dolores was advanced in June 2021.[11]
