Margaret Chung

Physician

• Born: October 2, 1889
• Place of Birth: Santa Barbara, California
• Died: January 5, 1959
• Place of Death: San Francisco, California

Margaret Chung was the first American-born Chinese woman physician in the United States. She was also responsible for organizing and inspiring members of the armed forces in the fight against the occupying Japanese forces in China during World War II.

Areas of achievement: Medicine, government and politics

Early Life

Margaret Chung was born on October 2, 1889, in Santa Barbara, California. Her mother, Ah Yane, had emigrated from China in 1874 at a young age. At age eleven, Ah Yane was arrested in a San Francisco brothel, removed from her guardians’ care, and transferred to the Chinese Presbyterian Mission Home. Margaret’s father, Chung Wong, arrived in California in 1875 as a teenager, eventually establishing himself as a merchant of imported Chinese goods. Ah Yane and Chung Wong likely met through their work with Presbyterian missionaries, and, in November of 1888, the couple married and relocated to Santa Barbara. Less than a year later, their first child, Margaret, was born.

Racial discrimination made life difficult for the Chung family, and Chung Wong’s retail business eventually failed, forcing him to file for bankruptcy and to take on manual jobs as a fruit vendor, ranch foreman, and truck driver. When Margaret was about ten years old, her father became bedridden by rheumatism, and her mother became increasingly weakened from tuberculosis.

As the oldest of eleven children, Margaret assumed most of the responsibility for caring for her parents and siblings and took a job at a restaurant to supplement her father’s income. Through her determination and hard work, she earned enough money from scholarships and odd jobs to put herself through college and medical school.

Life’s Work

In 1916, Margaret Chung graduated from the University of Southern California’s College of Physicians and Surgeons. She completed her residency at Kankakee State Hospital in Illinois, specializing in surgery, psychiatry, and criminology. Following her father’s death in 1917, Chung returned to Southern California and began work as a staff surgeon at the Santa Fe Railroad Hospital, eventually establishing a small practice in Los Angeles.

In 1922, Chung moved to San Francisco and established a private practice there, slowly expanding it as she gained the respect of the local community. Despite the move, she nevertheless maintained her practice in Los Angeles, making frequent trips by plane between the two cities and eventually attracting a large clientele of Hollywood celebrities. In 1925, Chung became one of the founding physicians of Chinese Hospital in San Francisco’s Chinatown, which was one of the first modern medical clinics in the neighborhood. Through her practice, Chung established many important connections and loyal friendships and was known to host dinners for her clients at her home.

In 1931, Chung was responsible for conducting the medical examinations of seven young aviators in the navy reserve. She quickly took the men under her wing and began hosting them and their friends at her home. As more such servicemen established ties with Chung, they began calling her Mom Chung. Because Chung was unmarried, the group began referring to themselves as her “fair-haired bastards.” By 1941, Mom Chung had “adopted” more than one thousand “sons” in the army and navy. Through her many connections, Chung recruited the first two hundred American aviators of the Flying Tigers, the volunteer group of American aviators who flew combat missions for China against the Japanese.

After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in December 1941, Chung helped organize and ship emergency supplies to the naval base and received recognition from President Harry S. Truman for her efforts. Throughout World War II, Chung provided encouragement and support to her “sons” stationed overseas through personalized letters and gifts. She also made a number of radio broadcasts and speeches promoting the war effort. Chung was also instrumental in lobbying for the creation of the Naval Women’s Reserve (known at the time as WAVES) in 1942. In 1945, Chung was presented the People’s Medal by the Chinese government for her tireless efforts to support China throughout the war.

Chung died on January 5, 1959, after battling a long illness.

Significance

Though Margaret Chung is best remembered for her efforts to support the Allied forces during World War II, she pioneered across both racial and gender lines and challenged widespread prejudicial attitudes regarding the abilities of women and Asian Americans. Through her personal, professional, and political efforts, Chung not only bridged the gap between disparate communities but also worked tirelessly for the greater good. She is remembered for her patriotism and for her tireless efforts to support her community and her country. In recognition of her accomplishments, Chung was honored with a plaque on the Legacy Walk in Chicago, Illinois, on October 11, 2012.

Bibliography

"Dr. Margaret Chung - Inductee." The Legacy Project, 2024, legacyprojectchicago.org/person/margaret-chung. Accessed 21 Aug. 2024.

Miller, Johnny. “Margaret Chung, a One-Woman USO in WWII.” SFGate. Hearst Communications, 4 Jan. 2009. Web. 12 Jan. 2012.

Wu, Judy Tzu-Chun. Doctor Mom Chung of the Fair-Haired Bastards: The Life of a Wartime Celebrity. Berkeley: U of California P, 2005. Print.

---. “‘The Ministering Angel of Chinatown’: Missionary Uplift, Modern Medicine, and Asian American Women’s Strategies of Liminality.” Asian/Pacific Islander American Women: A Historical Anthology. Ed. Shirley Hune and Gail M. Nomura. New York: New York UP, 2003. 155–71. Print.

---. “Was Mom Chung a ‘Sister Lesbian’?” Journal of Women’s History 13.1 (Spring 2001): 58–82. Print.