March Fong Eu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids March Fong Eu
24th Secretary of State of California
In office January 6, 1975 – May 17, 1994
Governor	Jerry Brown George Deukmejian Pete Wilson
Preceded by	Jerry Brown
Succeeded by	Tony Miller
2nd United States Ambassador to Micronesia
In office May 18, 1994 – July 5, 1996
President	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Aurelia E. Brazeal
Succeeded by	Cheryl Ann Martin
Member of the California State Assembly from the 15th district
In office January 2, 1967 – November 30, 1974
Preceded by	Nicholas C. Petris
Succeeded by	S. Floyd Mori
Personal details
Born	March Kong (1922-03-29)March 29, 1922 Oakdale, California, U.S.
Died	December 21, 2017(2017-12-21) (aged 95) Irvine, California, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Chester Fong (divorced) Henry Eu
Children	2, including Matt Fong
Education	University of California, Berkeley (BA) Mills College (MA) Stanford Graduate School of Education (Ed.D.)
Chinese name
Chinese	余江月桂
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Yú Jiāng Yuèguì Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Jyu4 Gong1 Jyut6 Gwai3

March Kong Fong Eu (born March 29, 1922 – died December 21, 2017) was an important American politician. She was a member of the California State Assembly. Later, she became the Secretary of State of California.

Early Life and Education

March Kong was born on March 29, 1922, in Oakdale, California. Her parents, Yuen Kong and Shiu Shee, had moved to the U.S. from China. They ran a hand-wash laundry business. The family later moved to Richmond, California.

March Eu studied at the University of California, Berkeley. She earned a degree in dentistry in 1943. She also earned a Master of Arts degree from Mills College. In 1954, she received her Doctor of Education degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Education.

Political Career

Before entering politics, March Eu worked as a dental hygienist. She even served as the president of the American Dental Hygienist Association. In the 1950s, she was a member of the Alameda County School Board.

California State Assembly

In 1966, March Eu was elected to the California State Assembly. She represented the 15th District, which included Oakland and Castro Valley. She served four terms in this role. She is well-known for her successful effort to ban pay toilets. She argued that these toilets were unfair to women because men's urinals were free.

California Secretary of State

In 1974, March Eu was elected Secretary of State of California. This made her the first Asian American woman to be elected to a major state office in the United States. She was the only woman to hold this position in California until 2006. March Eu was elected Secretary of State five times. In 1978, she won every county in California.

During her 20 years as Secretary of State, she brought in many new ideas. She made it easier for people to register to vote by mail. She also allowed anyone to request an absentee ballot. She started posting election results online. She also made sure that information about candidates was included in ballot pamphlets. In 1976, she even served as acting governor of California for a short time. This happened when Governor Jerry Brown was out of the state.

Other Public Service

In 1994, President Bill Clinton chose March Eu to be the United States Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia. She served in this important role until 1996.

In 2002, when she was 79, March Eu ran for Secretary of State again. She said she was upset about the voting problems in Florida during the 2000 presidential election. She wanted to help fix similar issues. She did not win the primary election that year.

Later Life and Family

March Eu lived in both California and Singapore with her second husband, Henry Eu. Her adopted son, Matt Fong, also became a politician. He served as the California State Treasurer. March Eu also had a daughter named Suyin. In her retirement, she enjoyed Chinese brush painting and calligraphy. March Eu passed away on December 21, 2017, at the age of 95, after a fall.

Recognition and Legacy

In 2019, the Secretary of State building in Sacramento, California, was named the March Fong Eu Secretary of State Building. This was a special honor, as it was the first state-owned building named after an Asian American woman.

The National Notary Association also gives an annual award named after her. The March Fong Eu Award honors people or groups who improve the standards of Notaries Public. March Eu was the first person to receive this award in 1979. It was given to her for her great work in making notary laws better.